
Glass. 



Book_ 






7 / 3 



WAR OF 

1812. 

FIRST SERIES. 

— eos— 

CONTAINING A FULL AND DETAILED NARRATIVE 

OF THE 

OPERATIONS OF THE 

OF THE 

( 
BY 

MAJOR RICHARDSON, K, S. F, 



»^#i 



1842. 



.TTfz 



Z4io n f& 



To the present United Legislature of Canada, in whom has origi- 
nated, and by whom has been carried into partial operation, one of 
the most beneficent measures which can be conferred upon a young 
country — that of a salutary provision for Education — this Historical 
Narrative, the first of an important series, (the completion of which 
must depend upon the countenance and support extended to the com- 
mencement) and compiled with a view to the furtherance of their 
object, Is Dedicated, 

By Their Very Obedient, 

And Humble Servant, 

The AUTHOR. 
July 16th, 1842. 



PRE FACE 



)§£§&>- 



In preparing this first of a series of Historical Narrative for the use 
o| Schools in Canada, the Author has been influenced by considera- 
tions, which he conceives will, more or less, govern the minds of 
those to whom the Education of the youth of the country is entrusted. 
It is a humiliating, yet undeniable fact, that there are few young 
men of the present generation who are at all aware, except by va^ue 
and inaccurate report, of the brilliant feats of arms, and sterling loy- 
alty displayed by their immediate progenitors, during the stern but 
brief struggle with the neighboring Republic, wherein numbers were 
fearlully against them, but in which, supported by true courage, and 
the consciousness of a good cause, they rode triumphant over every 
obstacle, and came forth unconquered from the strife. Or, if thev 
have read of these matters, their information has been derived throuoh 
the corrupt channel of American party publications bearing on the 
subject, all which have a tendency to pervert facts, and to instil into 
the youthful mind that diffidence and mistrust which operate as a 
check upon the generous aspirings, and weaken the energies of the 
natioi al character. 

Recovering as this country is, at this moment, from the severe 
shock which, although but of temporary duration, has deeply tested its 
general attachment and fealty to the British throne, and lapsing into 
that state of tranquillity from which it never should have departed, it 
will without difficulty be conceded that no compilation could, with 
greater propriety or consistency, be placed in the hands of Cana- 
dian students, than that which records the gallant deeds performed bv 
their Fathers, fighting side by side with the troops of England in de- 



fence of their invaded firesides : when actuated by a devoted spirit 
of loyalty, and a generosity of emulation never exceeded, they won 
golden opinions from their Sovereign, and stood boldly forth in the 
hour of the country's greatest need — nor, although the youth of Wes- 
tern Canada have the greatest reason to feel pride in this fact, should 
it fail to be a source of satisfaction to the French Canadian pupil, 
whose Sire was, at the epoch treated of in the following narrative, 
ever forward in the demonstration of his attachment to British Insti- 
tutions, and unwavering in his resolution to defend them with his life. 
These were, indeed, happy and well remembered days, when but one 
sentiment actuated the French and English races, who were knit to- 
gether in one common bond of good fellowship, and knew rivalry on- 
ly in their desire to tender to the parent, who had cherished and 
nursed them, the grateful evidence of their love. This is no over- 
charged picture of the feeling which then existed in the Cana- 
das, and on the direction given to the minds of i'.s youth of the 
present day, French and English, must depend its utter extinction 
or revival. 

Jn adopting the familiar style of the narrative, the Author has had two 
distinct inducements in view — firstly, because that species of composi- 
tion relieves history of the dryness which is so great a barrier to inte- 
rest with the student; and secondly because, in identifying himself 
with his subject, the reader is necessarily led to do the same. There 
are few Canadian youths who will fail to be inspired by a generou* 
spirit of emulation, as they bear vividly before them the fact that tho 
Author whom they are perusing, and who has written for their instruc- 
tion and information, was even himself a student when summoned 
by the trumpet of War, from a perusal of the military exploits of the 
most renowned warriors of by-gone days, to range himself in the next 
hour under the victorious banner of a modern Chief not less daring, 
and scarcely less celebrated than any of those, and to defend, with his 
feeble yet willing arm, the soil whjf h gave him birth, and the Stand- 
ard to which he owed allegiance. 

That the lot which was the Author's may be that of the Reader, 
is a reflection which can never be lost sight of by the generous of 
character whose rallying cry, whenever domestic rebellion or foreign 
invasion stalk throughout the land their Sires have consecrated to En- 
gland with their blood, will assuredly ever be "Aut vincere aut mori." 
The past has pledged, the future will redeem the bond. 



OPERA T I O N 8 

OF THE 

RIGHT DIVISION 

of t Jl o 

ARMY OF UPPER CANADA, 

DURING THE 

AMERICAN WAR 

of 18 12. 

&c, &c, &c. 

Much has been said and written in respect to the Red-men of the 
forest ; but I do not recollect having ever met with a detail suffici- 
ently accurate to convey a just idea of the character of these peo- 
ple. As they will occupy a tolerable portion of my attention, and 
frequently appear under circumstances which may incline the read- 
er to incredulity, I will merely observe, thai no one incident will 
be found committed to these pages, which may not be attested by 
every officer who served with the right division ol the Canadian ar- 
my. Iti fact, to that division alone were the more savage of the In- 
dian race attached ; and when It is considered, that among the war- 
riors of at hast twenty d ifftrtm liibee, there were those who had 
scarcely ever any previous intercourse with whites, and had seldom 
approached a fortified place but in open hnstiii y, the ihdpmitableness 
of their n ' ' " , 

cu ■ . . . . 

perpetrated by an ally over whom we had no control — it may nut be 
improper to advert to the motives for their employment. The Ame- 
ricans have iii variably been loud in their condemnation of a meas- 
ure which, alone secured to us the possession of Upper Canada: with 
bow little reason, however, will appear from the well-known fact, 



privately : all except about 25 who were determined to hold out. A- 
bout 7 in the mpming the Mayor of the City, and General Strieker, 
having collected a force of horse and infantry, amounting in all to a- 
boiu one hundred men, marched ihem to the scene of action, and pa- 
raded ihern in front ofthe house, but took no pains 1.0 disperse the 
mob hv which they were surrounded. The small band ol heroes 
who still garrisoned the house, now offered to give themselves up to 
the Mayor and G21. Strieker, if fhey would promise to protect them 
from the mob. This was acceeded to by the Mayor and the General, 
who gave them thiir word of honor that they should have ample pro- 
tection t'i-orcx all harm. They were accordingly taken from the house, 
surrounded by the military, who furmed a hollow square, and in this 
manner marched to the City prison, where they were lodged and left 
without any guard, the troops being immediately dispersed, 
notwithstanding they were followed by the mob (often peliing them 
with brick-bats and paving-stones) and swearing that the prison 
should not protect the damned Tories, but that they should all be 
killed in 24 hours. At noon verbal orders were issued for the 5th 
Regiment of Infantry to turn out at 3 o'clock, P. M. and after the ut- 
most exertions of some spirited officers, at 4 o'clock but aboui 30 or 
40 men were collected; thev continued under arms about an hour, 
when orders came from the Mayor, as the mob had dispersed, to dis- 
miss them. About 8 o'clock in the evening the mob again collected, 
attacked the prison, and forced the outer door, when the Sheriff it is 
said delivered the m the keys of the inner apartment , which they 
opened, and brought the unfortunate men out tv>o ai a time, and beat 
them with club- until they thought them dead-one thev carried away, 
tarred and feathered him, beat him until he was almost dead, prick- 
ed him with sharp irons, and carded him with a wool-card. At 10 
o'clock I saw five lying in front of the prison apparently lifeless, 
while these horrid savages were prowling over them, and exulting; 
in their worse than savage barbarity ; it was indeed a horrid sight,and 
it make- my blood boil when I think of it. 

1 am informed th's morning, that there is but one actually dead, 
that some can live but a few hours, and the lives of the greatest part 
are despaired of. They were secured. I am told by meritorious exer- 
tions ofthe doctor who persuaded the butchers that thev were dead, 
and bad ihem conveyed awav in caniages, as fast as they could <ret 
them out of their hands. The one who is ascertained to have been 
killed was General Lingau, an old Revolutionary Officer. General 
S. Lee of Virginia was also among them ; the rest were chiefly young 
men whose connexions were the most respectable in the City. The 
inhabitants are in the utmost consternation: all business is suspended: 
people collect in small groups in the streets, with a settled gloom up- 
on their countenances, and everv man looks with suspicion on his 
neighbor, for no man thinks himself safe whose political creed does 
riot agree with that of the mob; lest that an unguarded expression 
may subject him to their fury. The number stated to have been 
massacred in the s;aol exceeds twenty, and among these are Cap- 
tains Murray and Lingau ofthe United States army." 

Such is the picture drawn of American feeling on the occasion, by 
an American himself. Let me place in relief to it kindlier relations 
which existed at that period along the border.as exhibited in a letter 
dated 



Niagara. (American side) June %iih. 

"The news of war reached (lie British (Niagara) Fort George the 
24th by express,two dr.vf- b( fore it was received »\ our military static i. 
Genei I Brock the Britisl rived at Fort George the 2oih. 

Several AmericanGt-ntlen en were there on a visit.who were treated 
verj politely by the Governor, and sent under 'he protection of Cap- 
Laio^Glegg "his aid to Fort Niag: a with a flag. The news of war 
was,. very unwelcome on both stdes the river. They have htm for 
six years' in habits of friendly intercourse, connected by marriages 
and'varibus relationship?. Both sites were in consternation ; the 
woman and children wire cat on the banks, while their Fathers, hus- 
band--., sons &c. were busily employed in arming. It was said Cap- 
tain Glegg also bore a summons for the surrender of Fort Niagara, 
but this was contradicted by Captain Leonard commanding that post, 
Avho said the message was merely to inquire if he had any official 
notice of the Avar; and that he answered in the negative." 

The garrison of Amhersthurg, at the commencement of the war, 
consisted of about 200 men of the first battalion of the 41st Regiment 
a very weak detachment of the Royal Newfoundland Fencibles, 
and a subaltern's command of artillery. Situated at the head of 
LakeErie.and formingthe key to our relations with the Western Indi- 
ans, this post became an object of additional interest to the enemy. 
With every opportunity of a.-certaining the weakness of its defences, 
and the almost utter impossibility of its obtaining supplies, the fall of 
Arnherstburgh was looked forward to by the Americans, as an event 
which admitted not of doubt. With this view, the division under 
Geneial Hull, consisting of two thousand three hundred men, had 
been urged forward with all possible despatch to Detroit, at a dis- 
tance of eighteen miles beyond Amhersthurg, an attack on which 
latter place was immediately contemplated. Having collected his 
boats, and made every other necessarv preparation, the American 
General, on the 7th of July, landed three miles above Sandwich, a small 
town nearly opposite to Detroit, and within view of a corps of obser- 
vation, which, in conformity with its instructions, retired on his 
approach. Colonel St. George. Inspecting Field-officer, and then 
commanding at Amherstburg, with that spirit and activity by which 
he was distinguished throughout the war, nude every judicious dis- 
position for his reception. The militia were called out, and, through 
the exertions of the various agents of their department, a body of 
600 Indians was soon collected. At a distance of eight miles from 
Amherstburg, and traversing the high road, is the Canard River' 
which empties itself into that of the Detroit, and is impassable even 
by cavalry. Over this,and near its mouth, a bridge composed entire- 



to himself that he Las beea injured by the Governmeut iu his person, 
his liberty, or his property 1 Where is to bo found in any part of the 
world, a growth so rapid in wealth and prosperity, as tins colony ex- 
hibits'? Settled not thirty years, by a band of veterans, exiled from 
their former possessions on account of their loyalty, not a descendant 
of these brave people is to be found, who under the fostering liberal- 
ity of their Sovereign, has not acquired a properly and means of en- 
joyment superior to ..hat were possessed by their ancestors. This 
unequalled prosperity could not have been attained by the utmost 
liberality ot the Government, or the persevering industry of the peo- 
ple, had not the maritime power of the mother country secured to its 
colonies a safe access to every market where the produce of their la- 
bor was in demand. 

The unavoidable and immediate consequence of a separation from 
Great Britain, must be the loss of this inestimable advantage; and 
what is offered you in exchange? to become a territory of the United 
States, and share with them that exclusion from the ocean which 
the policy of their present government enforces — you are not even 
flattered with a participation of their boasted independence, and it is 
bat too obvious, that once exchanged from the powerful protection of 
the United Kingdom, you must be re-annexed to the dominion of 
France, from which the Provinces of Canada were wrested by the 
arms ot Great Britain, at a vast expense of blood and treasure, from no 
other motive but to relieve her ungrateful children from the oppres- 
sion of a crue! ntighbour; this restitution ol Canada to the Empire 
of France, was the stipulated reward for the aid afforded lo the re- 
volted colonies, now the United States ; the debt is still due, and 
there can be no doubt but the pledge has been renewed as a consider- 
ation for commercial advantages, or rather for an expected relaxation 
in the tyranny of France over the commercial world. Are you pre- 
pared, inhabitants of Upper Canada, to become willing subjects, or 
rather slaves, to the Despot who rules the Nations of Europe with 
a rod ot iron '? — If not, arise in a body, exert your energies, co operate 
cordially with the King's regular forces, to repel the invader, and do 
not give cause to your children, when groaning under the oppression 
of a foreign master to reproach you with having too easily parted 
with the richest inheritance of this Earth — a participation in the 
name, character, and freedom of Britons. 

The same spirit of justice, which will make every reasonable al • 
lowance for the unsuccessful efforts of zeal and lovalty, will not fail 
to punish the defalcation of principle; every Canadian freeholder, is 
by deliberate choice, bound by the mosi solemn oaths to defend the 
monarchy as well as his own property; lo shrink from that engage- 
ment is a treason nut lo be forgiven : let no man suppose that if in 
this u lexpected struggle, Bis Majesty's arms should be c 
to yield to an overwhelming force.that the ! r< \ Dcewillbe eventi 
abandoned; the endeared relation of its first settlers, the intrii 
vrdue of its commerce, and the pretensions cf its poweri riv ! to ;• - 
possess the Canada-, are pledges that no peace will he established 
bat .veen the United States, and Great Britain and Ireland, of which 
the restoration of these Provinces does not make the most prominent 
condition. 

Be not dismayed at the unjustifiable threat of the commander of 
the enemy's force?, to refuse quarter should an Indian appear in the 



9 

ranks. The brave bauds of natives which inhabit this colony, were 
like his Majesty's subjects, punished for their zeal arid fidelity, by the 
toss of their possessions in the late colonies, and rewarded by his 
Majesty with lands of superior value in this Province; the faith of 
the British government has never yet been violated, they feel that the 
o il they inherit is to them and their posterity piotected from the base 
arts so frequently devised to overreach their simplicity. By what 
new principle are they to be prevented from de/ending their proper- 
ty ? If their warfare, from bei ent from that ol the white peo- 
ple, is more terrific to the enemy, Jet him retrace his steps — they seek 
him not — and cannot expect to find women and children in an inva- 
ding army; but they are men, and have equal rights with all other 
men to defend then. id their property when invaded, more es- 
pecially when they find in tire enemy's camp a ferocious and mortal 
foe, using the warfare which the American commander affects to 
reprobate. 

This inconsistent and unjustifiable threat of refusing quarter for 
such a cause as being found in arms with a brother sufferer in defence 
of invaded lights, must be exercised with the certain assurance of re- 
taliation, not only in the limited operations of war in this part of the 
King's Dominions, but in every quarter of the globe, for the nation- 
al character of Britain is not less distinguished for humanity than 
strict retributive justice, which will consider the execution of thi3 
inhuman threat as deliberative murder, for which eveiy subject of the 
offending power must make expiation. 

ISAAC BROCK, 
Maj. Gen, and President. 

Head Quarters, Fort George, 22nd July, 1812. 

By order of His Honor the President. 
J. B. Glegg, Capt. A. D. C. 

The activity with which General Hull commenced his offensive 
operations, gave indication that they would be followed up with vig- 
or, and that, having once effected his landing, he would afford not 
time for his enemies to collect the few resources they could command, 
or piace themselves in an attitude of defence. The fort of Amherst- 
burg could not have sustained a siege of any duration. Quad- 
rangular in its form, four bastions alone flanked a dry ditch, offering 
little obstacle to a determined enemy. This passed, a single line 
of picketing, perforated with loopholes for musketry,and supported by 
a slight breast-work, remained to be carried. A prudent command- 
er would, however, hnve chosen a less uncertain mode of dislodging 
the garrison. A few shells properly directed would have answered the 
purpose, since, with the exception of the magazine, all the buildings 
within were of wood, and covered with pine shingles of such ex- 
treme-thinness, as would have been found incapable of resisting 
missiles of far less weight. Ti • disadvantage of awaiting the en- 
emy in this position. Colonel St. George well knew. He consequent 
ly prefer,-! a giving him battle with the trifling force he had at bi3 
f '' ■■ i'Vith this view, the garrison received orders to be an- 



12 

It was on this occasion, that one of these rigid customs peculiar 
to the Indians was observed. Previous to our arrival at Brownstown 
*a detachment of American troops, consisting of 200 Riflemen of the 
Ohio Volunteers, under the command of Major Van Home, had been 
sent from Detroit to escort the Mail, and to open a communication 
with Captain Brush who, on his way with a supply of provisions 
for the army of General Hull, had been compelled to halt at the 
River Raisin, thirty six miles below Detroit, his route having been 
intercepted by the Indians. The spies or scouts of these latter, hav- 
ing given intimation to Tecumseh, Avho was then at Brownstown 
at the head of a small force, of the approach of Major Van Home, he 
tnok with him a party of 24 warriors, and with these formed an am- 
buscade about three miles from the village,aDd lining the thick woods 
on either side of the road which passed through them, as far as his 
little band would permit, there awaited the advance of the enemy. 
Major Van Home, having neglected to throw out skirmishers or an 
advanced guard of any kind, came suddenly, with the main body of 
his riflemen chiefly mounted, within reach of the Indians, who open- 
ed upon them a most destructive fire, killing many men and horses, 
and compelling the remainder to wheel about and seek their safety 
inflight. The Indians rose from their ambush and, uttering fierce 
yells, pursued them for a considerable distance, but without much 
subsequent loss to the enemy, the flcetness of whose horses enabled 
them soon to distance their pursuers. 

The only loss sustained by Tecumseh was one man killed, and 
that by almost the last shot fired, in their confusion, by the enemy. 
This individual was a young Chief named Logan, who often acted 
as an interpreter, and who, from partially understanding the English 
language, and being in frequent communication with them, was near- 
ly as great a favorite with the Officers and men oi the Right Division, 
as he was with his own people. At the close of the action, Logan's 
dead body was brought in, and placed in a long,low,log building which 
the Indians chiefly used as a council room. Here the recently enga- 
ged warriors now assemoled, taking their seats in a circle, with an 
air of great solemnity, and in profound silence. Up to that moment one 
prisoner only of the American detachment had fallen into their hands. 
This poor fellow had been wounded, although not in such a way as 
to disable him from walking, and he was made to take his seat in the 
circle. Added to the 24 Warriors selected by Tecumseh, was the eldest 
son of Colonel Elliott, the Superintendant of Indian affairs, a very- 
fine yonng man who was afterwards killed, (and scalped I believe) 
and who, dressed as an Indian throughout the day, now took his sta- 
tion as one of the war-party,among his late companions in arms. It 
chanced that the prisoner was placed next to him. After having 



13 

been seated some little nine in this manner. Mr. Elliott, observing 
the blood to flow from some part cf his neighbor's body, involuntari- 
ly exclaimed — " Good God you are wounded." The sound of an 
English\voice operated like magic upon the unhappy man, and his 
look cf despair was in an instant changed for one of hope. "Oh 
Sir," he eagerly exclaimed "if you have the power to save me do 
so.'' Mr, Elliott, who related the while of the above circumstance 
to us later, stated that he had never experienced such moments of 
mental agony as he felt during this short appeal. Bitterly repenting 
the indiscretion which had been the means of exciting an expecta- 
tion, which he well knew he had not the slightest power to realize, 
be was compelled to reply somewhat harshly that he had no more voice 
there than the prisoner himself, which indeed was the fact. The 
American said no more ; he bent his head upon his chest, and re- 
mained silent. Soon afterwards a bowl with food was placed before 
him, evidently with a view (as the result proved) of diverting his 
attention. Of this he slightly partook or seemed to partake. 
While occupied in this manner, a young warrior, obeying a 
signal from one of the elders, rose from his seat, and coming 
round and behind the prisoner, struck him one blow with his 
tomahawk on the uncovered head, and he ceased to live, Nota yell 
not a sound beside that of the crashing tomahawk was heard, not a 
muscle of an Indian face was moved. The young warrior replacing 
his weapon, walked deliberately back, and resumed his seat in the 
circle. The whole party remained a few minutes longer seated, and 
then rose to their feet, and silently withdrew — leaving to those who 
had not been of the war-parly, to dispose of the body of the victim. 
Tecumseh was not present at this scene. 

Nor was this the only melancholy sacrifice offered to the manes 
of the lamented and unconscious Logan. On the very morning af- 
ter this occurrence, as the Officers sat grouped together on the grass 
literally imbedded in letters, the contents of the mail from Detroit 
which had been captured by the Indians, and which were now beiro- 
opened for the purpose of ascertaining the intended movements of 
the enemy, the wild and peculiar yell of several Warriors announ- 
ced that another'captive was being brought in. We immediately rose 
and advanced toward the low, leg building already described, when 
we beheld several Indians approaching it, preceded by a prisoner 
whom they had secured by a long leathern thong, made fast to anoth- 
er which confined his hands. He was a finely proportioned young 
man. and the air of dejection which clouded his brow, gradually gave 
way to a 'more cheerful expression, when, on approaching the encamp- 



14 

raent, he perceived those from whom he expected protection. Sev- 
eral of the men advanced to meet and converse with him, and the 
poor fellow had apparently banished all feeling of apprehension for 
his future fate, when an aged aunt of the deceased issued from her 
tent, and stole cautiously behind him. Even at the moment when the 
mind of the prisoner was lulled into confidence, and without any pre- 
vious admonition, the heartless woman drew a tomahawk from be- 
neath her mantle, and buried its point in the skull of her victim. 
Stunned but not felled by the wound, the unhappy man — his whole 
countenance expressing horror and despair — grasped at the first sol- 
dier near him for support ; but the blows were repeated so sudden- 
ly, and with such violence, that he soon fell panting and convulsive 
to the earth. Fortunately he was not suffered to linger in his agony. 
The Indians around instantly despatched and scalped him, stripping 
the body of its clothes, and committing violations on his person in 
which the cruel aunt of Logan bore a principal share. The indig- 
nation of the men was excessive ; but any attempt to interfere, could 
they even have foreseen the occurrence in time to render interference 
effectual, would not only have cost them several lives, but produced 
the most alarming consequences to our cause. Their displeasure 
was, however, expressed by their murmurs, and the atrocity of the 
act became the theme of conversation throughout the camp. At the 
moment of its perpetration, I had myself approached within a few 
paces' of the group, and became an unwilling spectator of the whole 
transaction. The wild expression of the sufferer's eye : the sup. 
plicating look which spoke through the very distortion of his fea- 
tures, and the agooy which seemed to creep throughout his every 
limb, were altogether indescribable. 

In these two several sacrifices of human lite, the motives for ac- 
tion, it will be seen, were wholly different. In the first case the In 
dians simply followed up a custom which had prevailed among them 
for ages, and indeed, if proof were required of this fact, it is at once 
to be found in the absence of all ferocity, or excitement, or disposition 
to insult the prisoner who had already been doomed to death. The 
very fact of their having placed food before him, with the manifest 
object of absorbing his attention, and quieting his mind at the very 
moment of infliction of the death blow, was an evidence of mercy — 
not mercy, it is true, as understood by the Christian— but still mercy 
— the mercy of the child of nature, whom the stern habits of his 
forefathers have taught the lesson of sanguinary retribution, yet who, 
in the midst of its accomplishment, seeks to spare all unnecessary 
pang to his victim. 



15 

The features of the second tragedy bore no resemblance to those 
which characterized the first. There, it was literally a religious im- 
molation to the ashes of the deceased, whose spirit, it was presumed 
could not rest in quietness, unless an enemy had been offered up as a 
propitiatory sacrifice. Here, it was a piece of wanton revenge, and 
perpetrated under circumstances of peculiar atrocity. Not a sound of 
triumph escaped from the band of Warriors met to avenge the death 
of their recently fallen friend and comrade, although they might have 
been supposed to have been iniiamed and excited by the action in 
which each had borne so prominent a part, in the early part of the 
day — not a look of levity derogated from the solemnity of their pur- 
pose. On the contrary, loud shouts and yells, and menacing looks 
and gestures, accompanied the actions of those, who, taking their 
tone from the cruel relative of Logan, scalped and otherwise mutila- 
ed the body of the second prisoner. 

The demeanour of the first party was that of a Christain tribunal 
which sits in solemn judgement upon a criminal, and beholds, with- 
out emotion, the carrying into effect ol its sentence by the executioner 
The bearing of the second was that of a Christain mob, to whose infu- 
riated passions a loose has been given, and who, once excited by the 
sight of blood know not where to set a bound to the innate and 
aroused cruelty of their nature. 

In justice however, to the Indians, it must be admitted these seem- 
ing evidences ot cruelty were not confined to them. The American 
backwoodsmen were in the habit of scalping also; and indeed it is 
singular enough that, although General Hull ; s famous, or rather in- 
famous, proclamation awarded death to any one of the subjects of 
Great Britain, found combating at the side of, and therefore assumed 
to be a participator in the barbarities attributed to, the Indians, the 
very first scalp should have been taken by an officer of his own army, 
and that within a few day? after the proclamation was issued.— Jamesi 
in his History of the War, relates— founded on a vague rumor of the 
day— that at the action fought at Brownstown, where Major Van 
Home was defeated, a letter was found in the pocket of Captain Mc- 
Culloch (who was among the slain on that occasion) addressed to his 
wife, and stating that he had shot an Indian near the Canard bridge, 
on the 15th of July, and had the pleasure of tearing- off his scalp 
with his teeth. Now ot the fact itself there can be very little doubt, 
for we had one Indian (and one only) killed and scalped at the Ca- 
nard. But, although Captain McCulloch is entitled to all the credit 
of this feat, there is reason to infer that James is incorrect in statins 



18 

of the enemy. While awaiting, in this manner, the approach of the 
column, which we knew to be at no great distance advancing upon 
us, our little force was increased by the arrival of Lieut. Bullock ol 
the 41st. Grenadiers who, with a small detachment ol twenty men of 
his own company, twenty Light Infantry, and twenty Battalion men 
had been urged forward by Gen. Brock, from the Head Quarters of 
the Regiment, then stationed at Fort George, for the purpose of rein- 
forcing the little Garrison of Amherstburg, and who having reached 
their destination the preceding day, had been despatched by. Col- Proc- 
ter, (lately arrived to assume the command) to strengthen us. Shortly 
the report of a single shot echoed throughout the wood; and the in- 
stant afterwards the loud and leirific yells of the Indians,followed by a 
heavy and desultory fire, apprised us that they were engaged. The 
action then became general along our line, and continued for half an 
hour, without producing any material advantage; when unluckily, a 
body of Indians that had been detached to a small wood about five 
hundred yards distant from our right, were taken by the troops for a 
corps of the enemy endeavouring to turn their flank. In vain we cal- 
ed out to them that they were our Indians. The fire which should 
have been reserved lor their foes, was turned upon their friends, whOj 
falling into the same error, returned it wiih equal spiiit. The fact 
was, they had been compelled to retire before a superior force, and 
the movement made by them, had given rise to the error of the troops. 
That order and discipline which would have marked their conduct 
as a body in a plain, was lost sight of, in a great measure, while 
fighting independently and singly in a wood, where every man, lol- 
lowing the example of the enemy, was compelled to shelter his per- 
son behind the trees as he could. Closely pressed in front by an al- 
most invisible foe, and on the point of being taken in the rear, as was 
falsely imagined, the troops were at length compelled to yield to cir- 
cumstance and numbers. 

Although our retreat, in consequences of this unfortunate misap- 
prehension, .commenced in some disorder, this was soon restored! 
when Major Muir. who had been wounded early in the engagement, 
succeeded in rallying his men, and forming them on the brow of a 
hill which commanded a short and narrow bridge intersecting the 
high road, and crossing a morass over which the enemy's guns must ne • 
cessarily pass. This was about a quarter of a mile in rear of the posi- 
tion we had previously occupied. Here we remained at least fifteen 
minutes, when finding that the Americans did not make their appear- 
ance as expectedj Major Muir, whose communication with Tecum- 
eeh had been cut off, and who now heard some smart firing in the 



13 

woods beyond his left, naturally inferred that the enemy were push- 
ing the Indians in that quarter, with a view of turning hisflank,gain- 
ing the high road in our rear, and thus cutting off our retreat. The 
order was then given to retire, which we certainly did at the double 
quick, yet without being followed by the enemy, who suffered us to 
gain our boats without further molestation. 

In this affair, which we never then regarded as any thing more 
than a sharp skirmish, yet to which the Americans have since at- 
tached an undue importance, their loss was 18 killed and 63 wound- 1 
ed: ours; 1 rank and file killed, two Officers, two Sergeants, nine- 
teen rank and file wounded, and two rank and file missing, but after- 
wards recaptured by the Indians. The wounded officers were Ma- 
jor Muir, and Lieutenant Sutherland. They were near each other 
when the attack commenced, and Major Muir having observed an 
American taking a deliberate aim at them, hastily placed a short ri- 
fle, which he usually carried with him on these occasions, on the 
shoulder of his companion, and levelled itat his enemy. Both fired 
at the same instant. The ball of the American, entering Lieut 
Sutherland's cheek, came out at the back of his neck, and passed 
through one of Major Muir's wings (he commanded the Light Com- 
pany of the 41st,) while the rifleman himself ffll dead on the spot, 
from his adversary's bullet. Major Muir soon afterwards received an- 
other ball in the lea:, yet without being disabled. Severe as proved the 
wound of Lieut. Sutherland, (who was borne off the field when the 
retreat commenced, on the back, if I do not greatly mistake, of one of 
the Messrs. Caldwell of Amherstburg) he would have recovered had 
he not imprudently, some ten days afterwards, made premature use 
of his tooth-brush. This opened the wound, brought on hcemorrage, 
and before medical assistance could be procured, (the main body of 
the force being then in occupation of Detroit) he bled to death. Te- 
cumseh was also slightly wounded, by a buck-shot, on this occasion. 

Here it was that we had first an opportunity of perceiving the ex- 
treme disadvantage of opposing regular troops to the enemy in the 
woods. Accustomed to the use of the rifle from his infancy — dwell 
ing in a measure amid forests with the intricacies of which he is 
wholly acquainted, and possessing the advantage of a dress which 
renders him almost undistinguishable to the eye of an European, the 
American marksman enters with comparative security into a contest 
with the English soldier, whose glaring habiliment and accoutre- 
ments are objects too conspicious to be missed, while his utter igno- 
rance of a mode of warfare, in which courage and discipline are of 
no avail, renders the struggle for mastery even more unequal. The 



22 



m^ over the b^^rk^ltZZT 7 V*!! 
and C >o I M ; „" ^ ^ ^"^ " «"' *-■ 

Hoandv, and .he approach of ,t f ^ S "' l " ! {mm ,ile sis " 

charged in their work bv tho \v,,} ■ i g k ' bein ^ 

Cant, and a part of he Ohio «fl *" ^ ""^ ° aptain De 

of the men on that fin ht h„ <• •. , omcers,, and firmness 

uu matnank, he was foiled in every mtpmnt j 
fina v forced to fill wi i , Y altem P t 3 and was 

v itrceu to iall baclr, and take new position* *«-? fi„i,* 

«<reat The British and Indians op .hefr TZ Ck m 7 f 
down .be river, and were pnrsued by Colonefh, IbTwi h ,h a T" 
of h.s troops which had opposed .hem , and Tecum eh vi.* ? » " 
*»ns, fled direcdy from .he river, westward* „To the " . , " 
and were p„ rsU ed by ,ha. par. of, he .roops wl eh had on! /T "" 
overtaking those who were (severely) wound d and oT m 

able to escape. "ounnea, and olherw.se un- 



After the British had retreated about one mile .hev .=„ • 

pursued to the edo-p nr,i , X he y wer e 

i " tu uic eage oi these woods, when Cnlnnol t\/t-ti 

information from Maior Van w n u lI,er received 

of the right flank thT T Ic kT' 7" ^ ^ ^ in C ° mman <* 

successively to ' v n OS f / etr ^ -stwardlv, that he 

%Wng, an SrtS^HSST! ^ " IndianS ' thatth ^ -ere still 
U „as still doubtful how the conflict would finally 



23 



terminate in that quarter. On the recent of this information Col- 
onel Miller ordered the troops under his immediate command, tohalt, 
and form the line. He informed the officers, that it would not do 
to pursue the enemy any farther, until he had heard again from the 
right flank. That as Tecumseh had retreated in another direction, 
the army was now divided, and the two divisions, already out of 
hearing of each others musquetry. That if Tecumseh was likely to 
overpower that division, he must send back a reinforcement to their 
relief or the Indians would otherwise immediately advance upon 
the field of battle, and massacre the wounded, destroy the rear guard, 
and take the ammunition and stores; and finally fall upon his rear 

Information was at length brought that Tecumseh had finally 
fled, and that the troops were returning to join that division as soon 

as possible. ■ . 

Colonel Miller immediately ordered the troops to march in further 
pursuitof the British. They entered the woods.and the cavalry mo- 
ved a-head at full speed. When they arrived through these woods, 
which was about half a mile, they came upon the beach of Lake 
Erie and discovered the enemy all in boats, steering towards Maid- 
en and out of reach of their shot. They had concealed their boats 
at this point, when they came over, for this purpose, if they should 
be defeated- This circumstance however could not have been known 
to Colonel Miller before. He now ordered the troops to return up- 
on the field from whence they had last marched, which was done 
and on their arrival, they were joined by the other division which 
had returned from the pursuitof Tecumseh and his Indians. 

The cause is now shewn, which has not been generally under, 
stood heretofore, Avhy the British were not all captured, when they 
had been so totally defeated. . , " 

The troops were then formed in line, fronting the field of battle; 
when Colonel Miller rode in front of the centre, and addressed them 
in the following words: 

'<Mv brave fellows! you have done well! every man has done 
his du v I give you my hearty thanks for your conduct on this day ; 
) uhate gamed my highest esteem ; you have gained fresh honor 
I yourselves, and to the American arms: your lellow soldiers in 
arms willlove you, and your country will reward you. £ ouwdl re- 
turn to the field of battle, to collect those who have gloriously fallen ; 
vour friendly attention to your wounded companions is required 
Y At sun rise the march was resumed, and at 12 o'clock on the 12th 
ol August, the detachment re-entered the town of Detroit, covered 
with mud from foot to head, their clothes not having been dried in 
Two and a half days. The sun now cheered them w.ih Us influence : 



26 

As I have unconsciously been led into a much more explanatory 
account of the Maguaga affair than I had originally intended, I can- 
not take my leave of it, without transcribing an anecdote related by 
the same writer which is so characteristic of the detestation enter- 
tained by the the Indians for the Americans, and resembles so near- 
ly the conduct of the noble Hancock, who fell at the Canard, that it 
cannot fail to be read with interest. 

"Sometime in the evening of the 9th, ( writes MajorDalliba) Cap- 
tain Maxwell returned with his spies, having been sent forward to 
the village of Brownstown, and reported that the village was aban- 
doned, and that no enemy could be discovered. Early next morning 
August 10th, detachments were sent out by Colonel Miller, to scour 
the woods in search of one man who was ascertained to be still mis- 
sing: he was however found dead. While the men were ranging 
over the woods, one of them was shot dead. A smoke of a piece 
was discovered at a distance, rising from the ground, by the party — 
they approached the spot, and beheld an Indian lying on the ground 
wounded, and unable to stand. One arm and one leg were broken, 
— he had lain there, during the night, by his piece which was load- 
ed when he fell. The cool deliberation with which he died (of 
course from this we infer the Americans killed the wounded man) 
proved the native fortitude of the savage to meet death when resist- 
ance is use-less. Unwilling to endure his pains longer, and die by 
degrees, he determined to die by the hand of his enemies, and to sell 
his life as dear to them as possible. He summoned together the lit- 
tle strength which remained, and so steadily levelled his rifle at the 
approaching American, as to put the ball through his heart." 

Meanwhile General Brock, then at York, (Toronto) fully sensi- 
ble of the danger of Amherstburg, threatened as he knew it to be by 
an overwhelming, and professedly exterminating foe, lost no time in 
repairing to its assistanee. The first detachment of the 41st push- 
ed forward to its relief was, as has been seen, that which joined us 
at Maguaga — and consisting of sixty men* Forty more were sent 
to Long Point, for the purpose of collecting the Militia in that neigh- 
hood, and fifty, under Captain Chambers, were despatched into the 
interior with a view of encouraging and being joined by the Indians. 
The General himself embarked on the 5th of August, for Fort 
George and Long Point, doubtless having inwardly matured the da- 
ring object which he subsequently accomplished, so much to his 
own honor, and that of the troops who participated in his glory. 
Leaving Long Point on the 8th, with no other force than the 40 men 
of the 41st, who had been previously despatched thither, and about 
S60 militia, principally volunteers from Toronto, General Bro«k 



27 

eoasted the 6hore of Lake Erie, oa his route to Amherstburg, which 
post he reached on the morning of the 13th. 

The two subjoined, orders issued on this occasion, are not unwor- 
thy of record, not because they are important in themselves, but be- 
cause they are eminently characteiistic of him,who was prudent on- 
ly where recklessness were a fault,and hazardous only where hesita- 
tion were disaster. 

Head Quarters, 
Banks of Lake Erie 

15 Miles S. W. of Fort Talbot, 
August 11th, 1812 6 o'clock P. M. 
General Ordeis, 

The Troops will hold themselves in readiness, and will em- 
bark m the boats at twelve o'clock this night precisely. 

It is Major General Brock's positive order that none of the boats 
go ahead ol that in which is the Head Quarters, where a light will 
be carried during the night. 

The Officers commanding the different boats will immediately in- 
spect the arms and ammunition ol the men, and see that, they are 
constantly kept in a state for immediate service, as the troops are 
now to pass through a part of the country which is known to have 
been visited by the enemys patroles. 

A Captain, with a subaltern and thirty men, will mount as picquet 
upon the landing ol the boats, and a sentry will be furnished from 
each boat, Avho must be regularly relieved to take charge ol the boats 
and baggage &c. 

A Patrole from the picquet will be sent out on landing to the dis- 
tance ol a mile from the Encampment. 

By order of the Major Gen. 

J. B. Glegg, Cant. 

A. D. C. 
J. McDonell, P. A. D. C. 

Point Aux Pins, 

Lake Erie, August 12th, 1812, 
General Orders, 

It is Major General Brock's intention, should the wind conti- 
nue fair, to proceed during the night. Officers commanding boats will 
therefore pay attention to the order of sailing as directed yesterday. 
The greatest care and attention will be requested to prevent the 
boats from scattering or falling behind. 

A great part of the Bank of the Lake when the boats will this day 
pass is much more dangerous and difficult of access than 
any we have passed. The boat therefore will not land, excepting in 
the most extreme necessity, and then great care must be taken to 
choose the best places for landing. 

The troops being now in the neighborhood of the enemy, every 
precaution mnst be taken to guard against surprise. 

By order of the Major General, 
J- B. Glegg, 

A. D. C. 
The arrival of Gen. Brock at Amherstburg, was the signal for an 
oflensive demonstration in our turn. The bridge at the Canard, — so 
oft?n the scene and object of contention. — had been repaired, imme- 



80 

Brigade Major to General Procter, was again desired to see if a great, 
er number could not be mustered. These officers finally made out 
750 men, including the militia who were employed in rowing the 
boats, but who were not present upon the ground. I am particular 
in detailing this fact, because there have been so many versions of 
our strength, that it is important the correct one should be known. 

The column having been formed, we moved forward by sections, 
at nearly double distance, in order to give to our little force a more im- 
posing appearance. Lieut. Bullock commanded the advanced guard, 
and immediately in rear of this, and preceding the column, were the 
light artillery (three six, and two three pounders) with which only 
we advanced against the enemy's fortress. Nothing but the boldness 
of the enterprize could have ensured its success. When Avithin a 
mile and a half from the rising ground to which I have just alluded, 
as commanding the approach to the town, we distinctly saw two 
long, heavy guns, (afterwards proved to be twenty-four pounders) 
planted in the road, and around them the gunners with their fuses 
burning — At each moment we expected that they would be fired, yet 
although it was evident the discharge must literally have swept our 
small, but dense column, there was neither halt nor indecision per- 
ceptible. This was fortunate. Had there been the slightest waver- 
ing, or appearance of confusion in the men, the enemy, who were close- 
ly watching us, and who seemed intimidated by the confidence ol our 
advance, would not have failed to profit by the discovery; and fearful, 
in such case, must have been the havoc; for, moving as we were 
by the main road, with the river close upon cur right flank, and a 
chain of alternate houses and close iences upon our left, there was 
not the slightest possibility of deploying. In this manner, and with, 
our eyes riveted on the guns, which became at each moment more 
visible, we silently advanced until within about three quarters of a 
mile of the formidable battery ; when General Brock, having found 
this point a position favorable for the formation of the columns of as- 
eault,caused the whole to be wheeled to the left, through an open field 
and orchard, leading to a house about three hundred yards off the road 
which he selected as his Head Quarters. In this position we were 
covered. 

While this was passing on the right bank of the river, our batte- 
ries had been performing good service on the left. The Officers in 
charge had succeeded in getting the true range of their guns, which 
threw their shot with admirable precision, and in the early part of 
the morning an eighteen pound ball bad found its way into the fort 
through an embrasure, and passing into the mess-room, killed four Offi- 
cers (one of whom was Lieut. Hanks, the commandant at Michili- 
macinac, on its recent surrender to Captain Roberts) scattering their 



SI 

brains and blood against the walls of the apartment, and filling 
the Americans, within the fort, as we afterwards understood, with 
serious dismay. As soon as this circumstance was reported to Gene- 
ral Hull, and about the time when the troops were crossing below, 
he despatched a white flag to the batteries, but Captain Hall who 
commanded there, having stated, to the Officer who bore it, that 
General Brock was by that time on his own shore, and was the only 
person by whom the flag could be received, the bearer immediately 
returned — the batteries discontinuing their fire however m the mean- 
time. This of course was during our advance, and it might be rea- 
sonable to infer, that it was in consequence of this flag being then 
in the act of passing from one shore to the other, that the enemy had 
not opened his fire from the long twenty-four pounders pointed at our 
column, were it not that General Cass and others have distinctly sta- 
ted that they requested the sanction of General Hull to fire, but that 
such sanction was peremptorily refused, from an apprehension of ul- 
terior consequences. Whatever the cause, we certainly had reason 
to congratulate ourselves that we had escaped the threatened danger. 
I confess that I breathed much more freely when we had left the 
road, which was quite as bad as any cul-de-sac, and taken up our po- 
sition near the farm-house. 

At the moment when the white flag was seen advancing from the 
point at which the threatening twenty four pounders — their muzzles 
turned from the batteries upon us — were yet planted, General Brock 
had advanced up the brow of the rising ground which concealed us 
from their view, for the purpose of reconnoitring the fort. He was 
soon apprized of this new and unexpected feature in the aspect of 
affairs, and promptly despatched Colonei McDonell and Major Glegg 
to meet it. It was the latter Officer, if I mistake not, who speedily 
returned by the main road at full gallop to communicate to the General 
who, in the mean time had returned to the column, that the object of 
the flag was to propose a surrender of the fort. Furnished with the 
instructions of his Chief, Major Glegg rode back at the same speed 
to the party who were awaiting his return, and all then entered the 
town for the purpose of arranging the terms of capitulation. 

At the termination of an hour, during which the arms of the men 
who loitered indifferently about, were piled, while such of the Officers 
as were fortunate enough to be early in their application, were provi- 
ded with an excellent breakfast by the people of the farm house, one 
of the Aids-de-Camp was again descried hurrying from the town at 
full speed. He brought the gratifying intelligence that the capitula- 
tion had been completed; and the order was then given for the troops 



32 

to advance and form upon the glacis of the fort. The "fall in" was 
immediately sounded, and we moved as directed, not by the main 
road, but by the orchards and fields which intervened between our 
position and the- fortress. As we approached, and beheld the nu- 
merous cannon frowning from their embrasures, it was impossible to 
avoid feeling mingled surprise and congratulation that so formidable 
a post should have been the fruit, apparently, more of a party of plea- 
sure than ot war. 

The glacis gained, the column was halted, and on our arrival we 
found that the greatest portion of the regular troops had inarched out 
of the garrison upon the esplanade, where they were now loitering about 
as we had a few minutes before, with piled arms. A guard of honor, 
consisting of an officer and lorty men, was immediately formed to take 
possession of the fort. The command of this devolved upon the of- 
ficer who had led the advanced guard — LieutenantBullock; and among 
those of the Militia who were attached to his party, and had first the 
honor of entering the fortress, were the present Chief Justice Robin- 
son, Samuel Jarvis, Esquire, Superintendant of Indian affairs, and 
Colonel William Chisholm. of Oakville. 

An error, which, in many similar circumstances, might have pro- 
ved a fatal one, occurred on this occasion. The order for the ad- 
vance of the guard of honor was given prematurely, by some offi- 
cer of the Staff — whom however I do not now recollect — for no soon- 
er had the head of the guard passed over the drawbridge into the fort, 
when it found itself almost hemmed in by a host of the Ohio Militia 
— many of them looking very fierce and very indignant at the sur- 
render — who had not yet been marched out. As the entrance of the 
guard under these circumstances was a violation of an article of the 
capitulation, which expressly stipulated that the American Garri- 
son were to march out before the British troops took possession, we 
were promptlv faced to the rear, and marched back again to the gla- 
cis — where we waited patiently until the angry looking riflemen 
found it convenient to move. We then entered in form, and lower- 
ing the American flag, hoisted, in default of the regular British ensign, 
an Union Jack which a stray blue-jacket had brought with him, tied 
round his body, and which he very cheerfully gave up for the pur- 
pose. The sentinels were then planted around the ramparts, and I 
(atthat time ayoung volunteer armed with a muskettaller than myself) 
had the honor of mounting my first guard at the Flag Staff— not a little 
elated I confess at the very enviable position in which, as a young 
Warrior, I conceived my«elf to be placed on the occasion. Nor was 



33 

the feeling at all diminished, as strutting most martially to and fro 
on my post, and, casting my eyes downward upon the esplanade, I 
saw, or fancied I saw, the American troops looking up with any thing 
but satisfaction at the red-coats who had thus usurped their place. 

The articles of capitulation having been finally settled, and the 
troops — the main body of which had soon followed the guard of honor 
— in possession of the fort, the first act of General Brock was to en- 
ter and liberate, in person, the gallant Dean who had been taken pris- 
soner at the Canard, and who then lay confined in the guard-room. 
Shaking him by the hand in presence of his comrades — 
while his voice betrayed strong emotion, he warmly approved his 
conduct, and declared that he was indeed an honor to ihe profession 
of a soldier. Such commendation, from such a man, was in all pro- 
bability the happiest day of poor Dean's existence, and must have 
amply repaid him for all his sufferings in confinement. 

Soon alter our occupation of the fort, Lieut. Bullock the officer com- 
manding the guard, discovered the colors of the 4th Regiment of In- 
fantry, which had been left in a room contiguous to that in which the 
four American officers were killed by the fire from our batteries. 
When it became known to General Brock that the colors had not 
been delivered over with the usual formalities, an order was sent to the 
officer of the guard to take them down to the esplanade where the Amer- 
ican prisoners were assembled, and hand them over to the officer in 
command of the 4th Regt, with a view 10 their proper delivery. The 
order was promptly obeyed. Lieut. Bullock, taking with him a few 
files of his guard, conveyed the colors to the ground occupied by the 
4th, when, on enquiring for the officer commanding that Regiment, 
he was met by a Captain Cook, who stated that in the absence of 
Colonel Miller — lying ill with ague at the time — the command 
had devolved on him. To this officer Lieut. Bullock communicated 
his errand. Captain Cook took from him the colors, and again pre- 
sented them saying — "Sir the fortune of war has placed these in your 
hands — they are yours. ,; Lieut Bullock simply bowed, and withdrew. 
— It was evident that Captain Cook, and those around him felt 
much chagrin on the occasion. 

On the afternoon of the surrender of Detroit the following order 
was published. 

General order, 

Head Quarters, Detroit, 16th August, 1812. 
Major General Brock has every reason to be satisfied with the con- 
duct of the Troops he had the honor to lead this morning against the 



34 

enemy. The state of discipline which they so eminently displayed,, 
and the determination they evinced to undertake the most hazardous 
enterprize, decided the enemy, infinitely more numerous in men and 
artillery to propose a capitulation, the terms of which are herewith in- 
serted for the information of the Troops. 

The Major-General requests Colonel Procter will accept his best 
thanks lor the assistance he derived from his experience and in- 
telligence. 

The steadiness and discipline of the 41st Regiment, and the readi- 
ness of the Militia to follow so good an example were highly con- 
spicuous. 

The ability manifested by Captain Dixon of the Royal Engineers 
in the choice and construction of the batteries and the high state of 
the Royal Artillery under Lieut. Troughton, afforded the Major-Gen- 
eral much gratification, and reflect great credit on those officers. 

The willing assistance given by Captain Hall and the Marine De- 
partment during the whole course of the service has been very con- 
spicuous, and the manner the batteries were served this morning 
evinced a degree of steadiness highly commendable. 

Lieut. Dewar, Dpt. Ass. Q,r. Master General, afforded strong proof 
by the local knowledge he had acquired of the country, of an unre- 
mitting attention to his duly; and the care and regularity with which 
the troops were transported across the river, must in a like degree, 
be ascribed to his zeal for the service. 

To Lieut. Col. St. George, Majors Tallon and Chambers, who com- 
manded brigades, every degree of praise is due lor their unremitting 
zeal and attention to their respective commands. The detachment 
of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, under the command of Ma- 
jor Mockler, is deserving every praise for their steadiness in the field, 
as well as when embarked in the King's vessels. 

The Major General cannot forego this opportunity of expressing 
his admiration at the conduct of the several companies of Militia 
who so handsomely volunteered to undergo the fatigues of a journey 
of several hundred miles to go to the rescue of an invaded district; 
and he requests Major Salmon, Captain Hatt, Heward, Boslwick and 
Robinson, will assure the officers and men under their respective 
command, that their services have been duly appreciated and will 
never be forgotten. 

The Major General is happy to acknowledge the able assistance 
he has derived from the zeal and local information of Lieut. Col. 
Nichol, acting Quarter Master General to the militia. 

To his personal Staff the Major General feels himself under much 
obligation; and he requests Lieut. Colonel McDonell, Majors Glegg 
and Givens, will be assured that their zealous exertions have made 
loo deep an impression on his mind ever to be forgotten. 

The conduct of the Indians under Col. Elliot, Capt. McKee. and 
other officers of that department, joined to that of the gallant and 
brave Chiefs of their respective tribes, has since the commencement 
of the war been marked with acts of true heroism, and in nothing 
can they testify more strongly their love to the King, their Great Fa- 
ther, than in following the dictates of honor and humanity, by which 
they have been hitherto actuated. Two fortifications have already 
been eaptured from the enemy without a drop of blood being shed 



35 

by the hands of the Indians; the instant the enemy submitted, his 
life became sacred. 

By order of Major General Brock, 
J. B. Glegg, Capt. A. D. C. 

From Major General Brock, to His Excellency Sir George Pre- 
vost. 

Head Quarters Detroit 
Aug. 17th 
Sir, — I have had the honor of informing your Excellency, that the 
enemy effected his passage across the Detroit river on the 12th ult. 
without opposition ; and that, after establishing himself at Sand- 
which, he had ravaged the country as far as Moravian town. Some 
skirmishes occurred between the troops under Lieut- Col. St George 
and the enemy, upon the river Canard, which uniformly terminated 
in his being repulsed with loss. I judged it proper to detach a force 
down the river Thames, capable of acting in conjunction with the 
garrison of Amherstburg offensively, but Captain Chambers, whom 
I had appointed to direct this detachment, experienced difficulties 
■which frustrated my intentions. The intelligence received from 
that quarter admitting of no delay, Colonel Procter was directed to 
assume the command, and his force was soon after increased, with 
sixty rank and hie of the 41st regiment. 

In the mean time, the mo it strenuous measures were adopted to 
counteract the machinations of the evil-disposed, and I soon expe 
rienced the gratification of receivng voluntary offers of service from 
that portion of the embodied militia the most easily collected. In 
the attainment of this important point, gentlemen of the first charac- 
ter and influence shewed an example highly creditable to them; and 
I cannot, on this occasion, avoid mentioning the essential assistance 
I derived from John M'Donell, Esq. ha Majesty's attorney-general, 
who. from the beginning of the War, has honored me with ins ser- 
vices as ray provincial Aid-de-Camp. A sufficiency of boats being 
collected at Long Point for the conveyance of 300 men, the embark- 
ation took place on the 8th instant, and in five days we arrived in 
safety at Amherstburg. 

I found that the judicious arrangement which had been adopted 
immediately upon the arrival of Colonel Procter, had compelled the 
enemy to retreat, and take shelter under the guns of his fort; that 
officer commenced operations by sending strong detachments across 
the river, with a view of cutting off the enemy's communication with 
his service. 

This produced two smart skirmishes on the 5th and 9th inst., in 
which the enemy's loss was considerable, whilst ours amounted to 
three killed, and 13 wounded; amongst the latter, I have particularly 
to regret Captain Muir and Lieutenant Sutherland, of the 41st regi- 
ment ; the former an officer of great experience, and both ardent in 
his Majesty's service. Batteries had likewise been commenced op- 
posite Fort Detroit, for one IS pounder, two 12s, and two 5£ inch 
mortars; all of which opened on the evening of the 15th (having pre- 
viously summoned Urigadier Gen. Hull to surrender,) and although 
opposed by a well directed fire from seven 24 pounders, such was 
their construction under the able direction of Captain Dixon of the 
royal engineers, that no injury was sustained from its effect. 



36 

The force at my disposal being collected in the course of the 15th 
in the neighborhood of Sandwich, the embarkation tookplace a little 
after day-light on the following morning, and under the able arrange- 
ments of Lieutenant Dewar, of the quarter-master general's depart- 
ment,the whole was,in.,a short time, landed without the smallest confuj 
sion at Spring- Well; a good position, three miles west of Detroit. 
The Indians, who had in the meantime effected their landing two 
miles below, moved forward and occupied the woods, about a mile 
and a half on our left. 

The force which I instantly directed to march agaiust the enemy 
consisted of 30 royal artillery, 250 41st regiment, 50 royal Newfound- 
laud regiment, 400 militia, and about 600 Indians, to which were at- 
tached three 6 pounders and two 3 pounders The services of Lieu- 
tenant Troughton, commanding the royal artillery, an active and in- 
telligent officer, being required in the field, the direction of the bat- 
teries was intrusted to Captain Hall, and the Marine department, and 
I cannot withhold my entire approbation of their conduct on this oc- 
casion. 

I crossed the river, with an intention of waiting in a strong posi- 
tion the effect of our force upon the enemy's Camp, and in hopes of 
compelling him to meet us in the field; but receiving information 
upon landing, that Colonel M'Arthur, an officer of high reputation 
had left the garrison three days before with a detachment of 500 
men, and hearing, soon afterwards, that his cavalry had been seen 
that morning three' miles in our rear, I decided on an immediate at- 
tack. Accordingly, the troops advanced to within one mile of the 
fort, and having ascertained that the enemy had taken little or no 
precaution towards the land side, I resolved on an assault, whilst 
the Indians penetrated his Camp. Brigadier gen. Hull, however, 
prevented this movement, by proposing a cessation of hostilities, for 
the purpose of preparing terms of capitulation. Lieutenant Col. John 
M'Donell and Captain Glegg were accordingly deputed by me on 
this mission, and returned within an hour with the conditions, which 
1 have the honor herewith to transmit. Certain considerations after- 
wards induced me to agree to the two supplementary articles. 

The force thus surrendered to His Majesty's arms, cannot be esti- 
mated at less than 2500 men. In this estimate, Colonel M'Arthur's 
detachment is included, as he surrendered, agteeably to the terms of 
capitulation, in the course of the evening, with the exception of 200 
men, whom he left escorting a valuable convoy at some little distance 
in his rear; but there can be no doubt the officer commanding will 
consider himself equally bound by the capitulation. 

The enemy's aggregate force was divided into two troops of caval- 
ry ; one company of Artillery engineers; the 4th United States regi- 
ment; detachments of the 1st and 3rd United States regiments, 
volunteers; three regiments of the Ohio Militia; one regiment of the 
Michigan territory. 

Thirty three pieces of brass and iron ordnance have already been 
secured. 

When this contest commenced, many of the Indian nations were 
engaged in active warfare with the United States, notwithstanding 
the constant endeavors of this government to dissuade them from it. 
Some of the principal chiefs happened to be at Amherstburg, trying 
to procure a supply of arms and ammunition, which for years had 



37 

been withheld, agreeably to the instructions received from Sir James 
Craig, and since repeated by your Excellency. 

From that moment they took a most active \ art, and appeared fore- 
most on every occasion; they were led yesterday by Colonel Elliot 
and Captain M'Kee and nothing could exceed their order and steadi- 
ness. A few prisoners were taken by them, during the advance, 
whom they treated with every humanity; and it affords me much 
pleasure in assuring your Excellency, that such was their iorbcar- 
ance and attention to what was required of them, that the enemy 
sustained no other loss in men than what was occasioned by the fire 
ol our batteries. 

The high sense I entertain of the abilities and judgment of Lieut 
Col. Myers, induced me to appoint him to the important command at 
Niagara; it was with reluctance I deprived myself of his assistance, 
but I had no other expedient ; his duties, as head of the Q,uarter- 
Master-General's department, were performed to my satisfaction by 
Lieut. Col. Nichol, Quarter-Master- General of the Militia. 

Captain Glegg, my Aide-de-camp will have the honor of delivering 
this despatch to your Excellency ; he is charged with the colors taken 
at the capture of Fort Detroit, and those of the 4th United States 
regiment. 

Captain Glegg is capable of giving your Excellency every infor- 
mation respecting the state of this province, and I shall esteem my- 
self highly indebted to your Excellency to afford him that protection, 
to which his merit and length of service give him a powerful claim. 

I have the honor to be, &c. 

ISAAC BROCK, Maj. Gen. 

P. S. I have the honor to enclose a copy of a proclamation, which 
I have issued immediately on taking possession of this country. 

I should have mentioned, in the body of my despatch, the capture 
of the Adams; she is a line vessel, and recently repaired, but without 
arms. 

Camp at Detroit, Aug. 16, 1812. 
Capitulation for the surrender of Fort Detroit, entered into between 
Maj. Gen. Brock, commanding his Britannic Majesty's forces, on 
the one part, and Brigadier Gen. Hull, commanding the north-wes- 
tern army of the United States, on the other part. 

Article I. Fort Detroit, with all the troops, regulars as w r ell a3 
militia, will be immediately surrendered to the British forces under 
the command of Maj. Gen. Brock, and will be considered as prison- 
ers of war, with the exception of such of the militia of the Michigan 
territory, who have not joined the army. 

Art. II. All public stores arms, and all public documcnts,including 
every thing else of a public nature, will be immediately given up. 

Art. Ill- Private persons, and property of every description will 
be respected. 

Art. IV. His Excellency, Brigadier-General Hull, having expres- 
sed a desire that a detachment from the state of Ohio, on its way to 
join his army, as well as one sent from Fort Detroit, under the com- 
mand of Colonel M'Arthur, should be included in the capitulation, 
it is accordingly agreed to. It is, however, to be understood, that 
such part of the Ohio militia as have not joined the army, will be per- 
mitted to return to their homes, on condition that they will not serve 



38 

during the war, their arms will be deliveied up if belonging to the 
public- 
Art. V- The garrison will march out at the hour of 12 this day, 
and the British will take immediate possession of the fort. 

J. MACDONELL, Lieut. Col. militia, P. A. D. C, 
J. B. GLEGG, Major, A. D. C. 
JAMES M1ETER, Lieut. Col. 5th U. S. Infantry, 
E. BRUSH, Col. com'g. 1st regt. of Michigan Militia, 
. , 5 W. HULL, Brig. Gen. commanding N. W. Army 

Appiovecl, £ ISAAC BROCK, Major General. 

An article supplementary to the articles of capitulation, concluded 
at Detroit, the 16th of August, 1812. 

It is agreed that the Officers and soldiers of Ohio militia and vol- 
unteers shall be permitted tu proceed to their respective homes, on 
this conditon, that they do not serve during the present war, unless 
they are exchanged. 

W. HULL, Brig. Gen. Commanding U. S. 
N. W. Armv, 

ISAAC BROCK. Maj. Gen. 
An article in addition to the supplementary article of capitulation, 
concluded at Detroit, the 16th of August, 1812. 

It is further agreed that the officers and soldiers of the Michigan 
Militia and volunteers, under the command of Major Wetherall, 
shall be placed on the same principles as the Ohio militia and volun- 
teers are placed by the supplementary article of the 1 6th instant. 
W. HULL, Brig. Gen. Commanding 
N. W. Armv U. S. 

ISAAC BROCK, Maj. Gen, 
Return of the Oidnance taken in the fort and batteries at Detroit 
August. 16th 1S12. 

Iron Ordnance — nine 24 pounders, eight 12 pounders, five 9 pound- 
ers. Brass Ordnance — three G pounders, two 4 pounders,one 3 
pounder, one S inch howitzer, one 3^ inch ditto. 
Total of Ordnance taken — 33. 

FELIX TROUGHTON Lieut- Com. royal artillery, 

Proclamation by Isaac Brock, Esq, Major General commanding 
his Majesty's forces in the Province of Upper Canada, &c. 

Whereas the territory of Michigan was this day, by capitulation, 
ceded to the arms of his Britanic Majesty. Avithout any other condi- 
tion than the protection of private property, and wishing to give an 
early proof of the moderation and justice of his Majesty's govern- 
ment, I do hereby announce io all the inhabitants of the said terri- 
tory, that the laws heretofore in existence shall continue in force 
until his Majesty's pleasure be known, or so long as the peace and 
safety of the said territory will admit thereof; and I do hereby also 
declare and make known to the said inhabitants, that they shall be 
protected in the full exercise and employment ot their religion, of 
which all persons both civil and military will take notice, and govern 
themselves accordingly. 

All persons having in their possession, or having any knowledge 
of, any public property, shall forthwith deliver in the same, or give 
notice thereof to the officer commanding, or to Lieut. Col. Nichol, who 



are duly authorised to receive and give proper receipts for the same. 

Officers of Militia will be held responsible, that all arms in the pos- 
session of militia-men be immediately given up, and all individuals 
whatever who have in their possession arms of any kind, will give 
them up without delay. 

Given under my hand at Detroit, this 16th day of August, 1812, 
and in the 52d year of his Majesty's reign. 

ISAAC BROCK, Maj. Gen. 

Explanatory as are the above documents, in relation to the im- 
portant capitulation of Detroit; and indicative as they are of the 
high aspirings of him to whose firmness and decision its fall is alone 
attributable, the account would be incomplete, were mention not 
here made of the causes stated to have led to the surrender of so strong 
a position, by the American Commander. Every particular relating, 
not merely to the conquest of Detroit — the first and leading feat per- 
formed during the war — but to the Hero, its conqueror, cannot be 
viewed as being given in any spirit of prolixity- I shall therefore 
proceed to give, first General Hulls letter of exculpation, addressed 
to the American Secretary at War; and secondly a somewhat lengthy 
document from Colonel Cass, (now the United States Minister at 
Paris,) highly condemnatory of the conduct of his Chief. 

From BrigadierGeneral Hull tu the American Secretary at War. 

Fort George August 26th, 1812. 
Sir, — Enclosed are the articles of capitulation, by which the fort 
of Detroit has been surrendered to Major-general Brock commanding 
his Britannic Majesty's forces in Upper Canada, and by which the 
troops have become prisoners ot War. My situation, at present, for- 
bids me from detailing the full and particular causes which have 
led to this unfortunate event. I will, however, generally observe 
that after the surrender of Michilimackinac, almost every tribe 
and nation of Indians, excepting a part of the Miamis and Delawares, 
north from beyond Lake Superior, west from beyond the Mississippi, 
south from the Ohio and Wabash, and east from every part of Upper 
Canada, and from all the intermediate country, joined in open hostil- 
ity, under the British standard, against the army I commanded, con- 
trary to the most solemn assurances of a large portion of them to re- 
main neutral: even the Ottawa chiefs from Arbccrotch, who formed 
the delegation to Washington the last summer, in whose friendship I 
know you had great confidence, are among the hostile tribes, and se- 
veral of them distinguished leaders. Among the vast number of 
chiefs who led the hostile bands, Tecumseh, Marpot, Logan, Walk- 
in-the-water, Split-log, &c, are considered the principals. This nu- 
merous assemblage of savages, under the entire influence and direc- 
tion of the British commander, enabled him totally to obstruct the 
only communication which I had with my country. This communi- 
cation had been opened from the settlements in the slate of Ohio, 
200 miles through a wilderness, by the fatigues of the army, which 
I had marched to the frontier on the River Detroit. The body of 
the lake being commanded by the British armed ships, and the shore* 



40 

and rivers by gun-boats, the army was totally deprived of all com- 
munication by water. On This extensive road it depended for trans 
portation 01 provisions, military stores, medicine, cloathing, and 
every other supply, en pack-horse? — all its operations were success- 
ful until its arrival at Detroit, and in a few days it passed into the 
enemy's country, and all opposition seemed to fall before it. One 
month it remained in possession of this country, and was fed from its 
resources. In different directions, detachments penetrated 60 miles 
in the settled part of the Province and the inhabitants seemed satis- 
fied with the change of situation which appeared to be taking place. 
The militia from Amherstburg were daily deserting, and the whole 
country, then under the control of the army, asked for protection. — 
The Indians generally, in the first instance, had certainly appeared 
to be neutralized, and determined to take no part in trie contest. 
The fort of Amherstburg was 18 miles below my encampment. Not 
a single cannon or mortar was on wheels suitable to carry before 
that place. I consulted my officers whether it Avas expedient to make 
an attempt on it with the bayonet alone, without cannon to make a 
break in the first instance. The council I called was of the opinion 
it was not. The greatest industry was exerted in making preparation, 
and it was not until the 7th of August that two 24 pounders, and three 
howitzers, were prepared. It was then mv intention to have pro- 
ceeded on the enterprise. While the operations of the army were de- 
layed by these preparations, the clouds of adversity bad been for some 
time, and semed still thickly to be gathering aiound me. The sur- 
render of Michilimacinac opened the northern hive of Indians, and 
they were swarming down in every direction. Reinforcements from Ni- 
agara had arrived at Amherstburg, under the command of Col. Proctor. 
The desertion of the militia ceased. Besides the reinforcements 
that came by water, I received information of a very consider- 
able force under the command of Major Chambers, on the river Le 
Trench, with four field pieces ; and collecting the militia on his route, 
evidently destined for Amherstburg. And, in addition to this combina- 
tion and increase of force, contrary to all my expectations, the Wy- 
andotes, Chippcwavs, Ottawas, Pottawatamees, Mnnsees, Delaware?, 
&c, with whom I had the most friendly intercourse, at once passed 
over to Amherstburg. and accepted the tomahawk and scalping knife. 
There being now a vast number of Indians at the British post, they 
were sent to the river Huron, Brownstown. and Magnaga to intercept 
my commuication. To op^n this communication, 1 detached Major 
Vanhorn of the Ohio volunteers, with 200 men, to proceed as far as 
the river Raisin, under an expectation he would meet Captain Brush, 
with 150 men, volunteers from the State of Ohio, and a quantity of 
provision for the army. An ambuscade was formed at Brownstown, 
and Major Yanhorffs detachment was defeated, and returned to 
camp, without effecting the object of the expedition. 

In mv letter of the 7th instant, yen have the particulars of that 
transaction with a return of the killed and wounded. Under this sud- 
den and unexpected change of things, and having received an express 
from General Hall, commanding opposite the British shore on the 
Niagara river, hv which it appeared that there was no prospect of 
any co-operation from that quarter, and the two Senior Officers of 
the artillery having stated tome an opinion that it would be extreme- 
ly difficult, if not impossible, to pass Turkey-river, andriver Aux Ca- 



41 

nards, with 24 pounders, and that they could not be transported bv 
water as the Queen Charlotte, which carried 18 24 pounders lay in 
the river Detroit above the mouth of the river Aux Canards; and 
that it appeared indispensably necessary to open the communication 
to the River Raisin and the Miami, I found myself compelled to sus- 
pend the Operation against Amherstburg, and concentrate the main 
force of the Army at Detroit. Fully intending at that time, after 
the communication was opened, to re-cross the river, and pursue the 
object at Amherstburg, and strongly desirous of continuing protection 
to a very large number of Inhabitant-; of Upper Canada, who had 
voluntarily occupied it under my proclamation, I established a fort- 
ress on the banks of the river a little below Detroit 1 , calculated for a 
gairhon of 31)0 men. On the evening of the 7th, and morning of the. 
9th instant, the Army, excepting the garrison of 200 infantry, and a 
corps of artillerists, all under the command of Major Denny of the 
Ohio volunteers, re-crossed the river and encamped at Detroit. In 
pursuance of the object of opening the communication, on which 
I considered the existence of the army depending, a detachment of 
600 men, under the command of Lieut. Col. Miller, was immediate- 
ly ordered. For a particular account of the proceedings cf this de- 
tachment, and the memorable battle whicn was fought at Magua^a 
which reflects the highest honor on the American arms, I refer you 
to my letter of the 31st August instant, a duplicate of which is en- 
closed, marked G. Nothing, however, but honor was acquired by 
this victory ; and, it is a painful consideration, that the blood of 75 
gallant men; could only open the communication as far as tne points 
of their bayonets extended. The necessary care of the sick and 
wounded, and a very severe storm of rain, rendered their return to 
Camp indispensally necessary lor their own comfort. Captain Brush 
with his small detachment, and the provisions being still at the river 
Raisin, in a situation to be destroyed by the savages, on the 1 3th. 
instant, in the evening, I permitted colonels M'Arthur and Cass to 
select from their regiments 400 of theii most effective men, and pro 
ceed by an upper route through the woods, which I had sent an ex- 
press to Captain Brush to take, and had directed the militia of the 
river Raisin to accompany him as a reinforcement. The force of 
the enemy continually increasing, and the necessity of opening the 
communication, and acting on the defensive, becoming more appa- 
rent, I had previous to detaching Colonel's M'Arthur and Cass on 
the 11th instant evacuated and destroyed the fort on the opposite 
bank. On the 13th, in the evening, General Brock arrived at Am- 
herstburg, about the hour Colonels M'Arthur and Cass marched, of 
which at that time I had received no information. On the 16th I 
received a summons from him to surrender Fori Detroit of which 
the paper marked A. is a copy. My answer is marked B. At this 
time I received no information from Colonels M'Arthur and Cass. 
An express was immediately sent, strongly escorted, with orders for 
them to return. On the 14th as soon as General Brock received my 
letter his batteries opened on the town and fort, and continued until 
evening. In the evening, all the British ships of war came nearly as 
far up the riveras Sandwich, three miles below Detroit. At day liyht, 
on the 16th (at which time 1 had received no information frorn Col- 
onels M'Arthur and Cass, my expresses, sent the evening before, 
and in the night, having been prevented from passing by numerous 



bodies of Indiana) tko eannonada re-commenced, and in a short 
time 1 received information, that the British army, and Indians, 
-were landing below the spring-wells, under the cover of their ships 
of war. 

At this time the whole effective force at my disposal at Detroit did 
not exceed 800 men. Being new troops, and unaccustomed to a 
camo life ; having performed a laborious march ; having been engaged 
in a number of battles and skirmishes, in which many had fallen, and 
more had received wounds, in addition to which a large number be-" 
ifio- sick and unprovided with medicine, and the comforts necessary 
for* their situation, were the general causes by which the strength of 
the army was thus reduced. The fort at this time was filled with 
women,- children, and the old and decrepit people of the town and 
country ; they were unsafe in the town, as it was entirely open and ex- 
posed to the enemy's batteries. Back of the fort above or below it, 
there was no safety for them on account of the Indians. In the first 
instance, the enemy's fire was principally directed against our batte- 
ries towards the close it was directed against the fort alone, and al- 
mos't every shot and shell had their effect. 

It now became necessary either to fight the enemy in the field ; col- 
lect the whole force in the fort; or propose terms of capitulation I 
could not have carried into the field more than 600 men, and left an 
adequate force in the fort. There were landed at that time of the 
enemy a regular force of much more than that number, and twice the 
number of Indians. Considering this great inequality of force, I did 
not think it expedient to adopt the first measure ; the second mu-t 
have been attended with a gieat sacrifice of blood, and no possible 
advantage, because the contest could not have been sustained more 
than a day for want of powder, and but a very [e\v days for the want 
of provisions. In addition to this, Colonels M'Arthur and Cass 
would have been in a most hazardous situation. I feared nothing 
but the last alternative — 1 have dared to adopt it — I well know the 
hi°-h responsibility of the measure, and I take the whole of it on my- 
self it W as dictated by a sense of duty, and a full conviction of its 

expediency. The bands of savages which had then joined the Bri- 
tish force were numerous beyond any former example. Their num- 
bers have since increased, and the history of the Barbarians of the 
north of Europe does not furnish examples of more greedy violence 
than these savages have exhibited. A large portion of the brave and 
gallant officers and men I command would cheerfully have contested 
until the last cartridge had been expended, and the bayonets worn to 
the sockets — I could not consent to the useless sacrifice of such brave 
men when I knew it was impossible for me to sustain my situation. 
It was impossible, in the nature of things that an army could have 
been furnished with the necessary supplies of provisions, military 
stores, cloathinsj and comfort for the sick, on pack-horses through a 
wilderness of 200 miles, fiilled with hostile savages. It was impos- 
sible, sir, that this little army, worn down by fatigue, by sickness, 
by wounds, and deaths, could have supported itself not only against 
the collected force of all the Northern Nations of Indians; but a- 
gainst the united strength of Upper Canada, whose population con- 
sists of more than 20 times the number contained in the territory of 
Michigan, aided by the principal part of the regular forces of the 
province, amd the wealth and infiut'ace of the North-went and other 



49 

trading estaltshments among the Indians, which have in their employ- 
ment and under their control more than 2000 white men. Before 
I close this despatch, it is a duty I owe my respectable associates 
in command, Colonels M Arthur, Findley, Cass, and Lieutenant 
Colonel Miller to express my obligations to them for the prompt and 
judicious manner they have performed their respective duties. If 
aught has taken place during the campaign, which is honorable to 
the army, these Officers are entitled to a large share of it. If the 
last act should be disapproved, no part of the censure belongs to 
them, I have likewise to express my obligation to general Taylor, 
who has performed the duty of quarter-master-general for his great 
exertions in procuring every thing in his department, which it was 
possible to furnish, for the convenience of the Army ; likewise to 
brigade Major Jessop, for the correct and punctual manner in which 
he has discharged his duty ; and to the army generally for their ex- 
ertion and the zeal they have manifested for the public interest. The 
death of Dr Foster soon after he arrived at Detroit, was a severe 
misfortune to the army ; it was increased by the capture of the Chi- 
chaga packet, by which the medicine and hospital stores were 
lost. He was commencing the best arrangements in the department 
of which he was the principal, with the very small means he pos- 
sesed. I was likewise deprived of the necessary services of Cap- 
tain Partridge by sickness, the only officer of the corps of engineers 
attached to the army. All the officers and men have gone to their 
respective homes, excepting the 4th United States legiment, and a 
small part of the ]st and Captain Dvson's company of Artillery. 
Captain Dyson's company was left at Amherstburg, and the others are 
with me prisoners ; they amount to about 340. 1 have only to so- 
licit an investigation of my conduct, as early as my situation and 
the nature of things will admit; and to add the further request that 
the government will not be unmindful of my associates in captivity, 
and of the families of these brave men who have fallen in the con- 
test. I have the honor to be very respectfully 
Hon W. Eustis Secrtary of Your Most obedient Servant, 
the department of War W. HULL Bri?. Gen. Commanding 

N. VV. Army U. S. 

Letter of Col, Cass, of the army late under the command of Erig. 
General Wm. Hull to the Secretary of War. 

Washington, Sept. 10, 1812." 
Sia, — Having been ordered on to this place by Col. M'Arthur, for 
the purpose of communicating to the Government such particulars res- 
pecting the expedition lately commanded by Brig. Gen. Hull, and its 
disastrous result, as might enable them correctly to appreciate the 
conduct of the officers and men, and to develope the causes that pro- 
duced so foul a stain upon the national character, I have the honor 
to submit to your consideration the following statement. 

When the force landed in Canada, they landed with an ardentzeal, 
and stimulated with the hope of conquest. No enemy appeared with- 
in view ol us, and had an immediate and vigorous attack been made 
upon Maiden, it would doubtless have lallen an easy victory. I know 
Gen. Hull, afterwards declared he regretted this attack had not been 
made, nnd he had every reason to believe success would have crow*- 



44 

td his efforts. The reason given for delaying operations, was to 
mount our heavy cannon and to afford to the Canadian militia, time 
and opportunity to quit an, obnoxious service. In the course of two 
weeks, the number ot their militia who were embodied had decreas- 
ed by desertion horn six hundred to one hundred men, and in the 
course of thiee weeks, the cannon were mounted, the ammunition, 
and every preparation made for an immediate investment of the fort. 
At a council, at which were present all the field officers, and which 
was held two days before our preparations were completed, it was 
unanimously agreed to make an immediate attempt to accomplish the 
object ol this expedition, h by waiting two days, we could have the 
service of our heavy artillery, ii was agreed to wait; if not it was 
determined to go without it, and to attempt the place by storm. This 
opinion appeared to correspond with the views of the General, and the 
day was appointed for commencing our march. He declared to me, 
that he considered himself pledged to lead the army to Maiden. The 
ammunition was placed in the wagons; the cannon were embarked 
on board the floating batteries, and every article was prepared. The 
spirit and zeal, the order and animation displayed by the officers and 
men, on learning the near accomplishment of their wishes, was a se- 
vere and sacred pledge, that in the hour of trial, they would not be 
found wanting in their dutv to their country and themselves. But 
a change of measures, in opposition to the wishes and opinions of 
all the officers, was adopted by the General The plan of attacking 
Maiden was abandoned, and instead of acting offensively, we broke 
up our camp, evacuated Canada, and crossed the river in the night, 
without even the shadow of an enemy to injure us. We left to the 
tender mercy of the enemy, the miserable Canadians who had joined 
us, and the protection Ave afforded them was but a passport to ven- 
geance. This fatal -and unaccountable step dispirited the troops, and 
destroyed the little confidence which a series of timid, irresolute, and 
indecisive measures had left in the commanding officer. 

About the 10th of August, the enemy received a reinforcement of 
400 men. On the 12th, the commanding officers of three of the regi- 
ments (the fourth was absent) were informed through a medium 
which admitted of no doubt, that the general had said, that a capitu- 
lation would be necessary. They on the same day addressed to Gov. 
Meigs, of Ohio, a letter of which the following is an extract. 

'•Believe all the bearer will tell you. Believe it, however it may 

astonish you, as much as if told by one of us. Even a c is 

talked of by the . The bearer will fill the vacancy." 

The doubtful fate of this letter rendered it necessary to use circum- 
spection in its details, and therefore these blanks were left. The 
Word ''capitulation" will fill the first and ''commanding general" the 
other. As no enemy was near us, and as the superiority of our force 
was manifest, we could see no necessity for capitulating, nor any 
propriety in alluding to it. We therefore determined in the last re- 
sort to incur the responsibility of divesting the general of his command. 
This plan was eventually prevented by two commanding officers of 
regiments being ordered upon detachments. 

On the 13th, the British took a position opposite Detroit, and began 
to throw up works. During that and the two following days, they 
pursued their object without interruption and established a battery 
of two 18 pounders, and an 8 inch howitzer. About sun set on the 
evening of the 14th, a detachment of 350 men from the regiments 



45 

commanded by Col. M'Arthur and myself, was ordered to march to 
the river Raisin, to escort the provisions, which had some time re- 
mained there, protected by a party under the command of Capt. 
Brush. 

On Saturday the 15th, about one o'clock, a ilas of truce arrived from 
Sandwich, bearing a summons from General Brock, for the surren- 
der of the town and fort of Detroit, stating he could no longer re- 
strain the fury of the savages. To this an immediate and spirited 
refusal was returned. About 4 o'clock their batteries began to play 
upon the town. The fire was returned and continued without inter- 
ruption and with little effect until dark. Their shells were thrown 
until 10 o'clock. 

At day light the firing on both sides recommenced ; about the same 
time the enemy began to land troops at the Spring Wells, three miles 
below Detroit, protected by two of their armed vessels. 

Between 6 and 7 o'clock, they had effected their landing and im- 
mediately took up their line of march. They moved in a close column 
of platoons, twelve in front, upon the bank ol the river. 

The fourth regiment was stationed in the fort; the Ohio volunteers 
and a part of the Michigan militia, behind some pickets, in a situa- 
tion in which the whole flank of the enemy would have been expos- 
ed. The residue of the Michigan militia were ii. the upper part of 
the town to resist the incursions of the savages. Two 24 poundeis 
loaded with grape shot, were posted upon a commanding eminence, 
ready to sweep the advancing column. In this situation, the supe- 
riority of our position was apparent, and our troops in the eager ex- 
pectation of our victory, awaited the approach of the enemy. Not a 
sigh of discontent broke upon the car; not a look of cowardice met the 
eye. Every man expected a proud day for his country, and each was 
anxious that his individual exertion should contribute to the general 
result. 

When the head ol the column arrived within about 500 yards of 
our line, orders were received from Gen. Hull for the whole to re- 
treat to the fort, and for the 24-pounders not to open upon the enemy. 
One universal burst of indignation was apparent upon the receipt of 
this order. Those whose conviction Avas the deliberate result of a 
dispassionate examination of passing events, saw r the folly and im- 
propriety of crowding 1100 men into a little work, which 300 men 
could fully man, and into which the shot and shells of the enemy 
were falling. The fort was in this manner filled; the men were di- 
rected to slack their arms, and scarcely was an opportunity afforded 
of moving. Shortly after, a white flag was hung out upon the walls. 
A British officer rode up to inquire the cause. A communication 
passed between the commanding Generals, which ended in the capit- 
ulation submitted to you. In entering upon this capitulation, the 
General look counsel from his own feelings only. Not an officer was 
consulted. ]\ot one anticipated a surrender, till he saw a white flag 
displayed. Even the women were indignant at so shameful a degra- 
dation of the American character, and all felt as they should have 
felt, but he held in his hands the reins of authority. 

Our morning report had that morning made out effective men pre- 
sent fit for duty 1060, without including the detachment before allud- 
ed to, and without including 300 of the Michigan militia on duty. 
About dark on Saturday evening, the detachment sent to escort the 



46 



provisions, received orders from General Hull, to return with, as much 
expedition as possible. About 4 o'clock the next day, they arrived 
in sight of Detroit. Had a firing been heard, or any assistance visi- 
ble, they would have immediately advanced and attacked the rear of 
the enemy- The situation in which this detachment was placed, al- 
though the result of the accident, was the best lor annoying the ene- 
my and cutting off his retreat, that could have been selected. With 
his raw troops enclosed between two lire*, and no hopes of succour, 
it is hazarding little to say, that very i'ew would have escaped. 

I have been informed by Co!. Findley, who saw the return of their 
Q,uarter-Master-General,the day after the surrender, that their whole 
force of every description white, red and black was 1030. They had 
2t) platoons, 12 in a platoon, of men dressed in uniform. Many ol 
these were evidently Canadian Militia. The rest of their militia in- 
creased their white force to about 700 men. 

The number of their Indians couid not be ascertained with any 
degree of precision ; not many were visible. And in the event of 
an attack upon the town and fort, it was a species of force which 
could have afforded no material advantage to the enemy. 

In endeavoring to appreciate the motives, and to investigate the 
causes which led to an event so unexpected and dishonorable, it is 
impossible lo find any solution in the relative strength ot the con- 
tending parties, or in the measures of resistance in cur power. That 
we were far superior to the enemy ; that upon any ordinary princi- 
ples of calculation, we could have defeated them, the wounded and 
indignant feelings of every man there will testify. 

A few days before the surrender, 1 was informed by Gen Hull, we 
had 400 rounds of Xi- pound shot fixed and about 100,900 cartridges 
made. We surrendered with the fort, 40 barrels of powder and 
2500 stand of aims. 

The state of our provisions has not been generally understood. 
On the day of the surrender we had 15 days provisions of every 
kind on hand. Of meat there was plenty in the country, and ar- 
rangements had been made for purchasing and grinding the flour. 
It was calculated we could readily procuie three months provisions, in- 
dependent of 150 barrels ol flour, 1800 head of cattle which had been 
forwarded from the State of Ohio, and which remained at the river 
Raisin under Captain Brush, within reach of the army. 

But had we been totally d stitule of provisions, our duty and our 
interest undoubtedly was 10 fight. The enemy invited us to meet 
him in the field. 

By defeating him, the whole country would have been open to us, 
and the object of our expedition gloriously and successfully obtained. 
If not we had nothing to do but to retreat to the fort, and make the 
best defence which circumstances and our situation rendered prac- 
ticable. But basely to surrender without firing a gun — tamely to 
submit without raising a bayonet — disgracefully to pass in review be- 
fore an enemy as inferior in the quality as in the number of his force, 
were circumstances, which excited feelings of indignation more 
easily felt than described. To see the whole of our men flushed 
with the hope of victory, eagerly awaiting the approaching contest, 
to see them afterwards dispnited, hopeless, and desponding, at least 
500 shedding tears because they were not allowed to fight their coun- 
try's bnttles, excited sensations which no Arneriran has ever had 



47 

cause to feel, and which, I trust in God, will neter pg da ho fert 
while one man remains to defend the standard of the union. 

lam expressly authorized to state, that Col. M'Arthur Col. Find- 
ley and Lieut, Col. Miller, viewed this transaction in the light which 
I do. They know and ft el, that no circumstance in our situation 
— nnne in that of the enemy, can excuse a Capitulation so dishon- 
orable and unjustifiable. This too is the universal sentiment among 
the troops : and I shall be surprised to learn, that there is one man, 
who thinks it was necessary to sheath his sword, or lay down his 
musket. 

I was informed by General Hull, the morning after the Capitula- 
tion, that the British forces consisted of 18C0 regulars and that he 
surrendered to prevent the effusion of human blood. That he mag- 
nified their regular force nearly five-fold, there can be no doubt. 
Whether the philanthropic reason assigned by him is a sufficient 
justification for surrendering a fuilified town, an Army and a terri- 
tory, is for tbe Government to determine. 

Confident I am, that had the courage and conduct of the General 
been equal to the spirit and zeal of the troops, the event would have 
been brilliant and successful, as it now is dishonorable. 

Very respectfully, Sir, I have the honor to be, your most cbedient 
Servant. 

Lewis Cass, Col. 3rd Regt. Ohio volunteers 

The Hon. Win. Eustis, 
Secretary of War. 

Although it does not come strictly within the object of this narra- 
tive to comment upon the statements of the enemy, it should not be 
concealed that the apprehension, entertained by General Hull, of the 
increased danger to his troops, and to the comparatively defenceless 
town of Detroit, arising from the expected arrival of reinforcements 
of Indians from the West, was in a great degree well founded, and 
it was well known at the time, (although a sentiment of shame at the 
yielding up of a post of such strength as Detroit, has since repudiat- 
ed the measure, - ) that this was a sentiment by no means confined to 
General Hull. Mr. Robert Dickson, a gentleman to whom long in- 
tercourse with the Indians had imparled a knowledge of their char- 
acter, and influence over their minds, which proved highly benefici- 
al to the British cause, was then actively engaged in collecting some 
of the most warlike tribes ; while the present Colonel Askin of Lon- 
don, at that time in the Indian Department, was already within a 
few days journey of Detroit, with a body of 270 Indian Warriors, un- 
der their Chief Big-gun. This little detachment had set out ex- 
pressly for the relief of Amherstburg, and, on its passage down in 
birch canoes, encountered much peril and difficulty, having had to 
cross Saginaw Bay, nearly fifty miles in extent, and for many hours, 
In their frail barks,evcn out of sight of the land. Such was the celentf 



48 

of their movements, lhat they reached Amherstburg m the remarkably 
short period ot six days from their departure from Michilimacinac, 
and about the same lapse of lime from the surrender of Detroit. 
Thus it will appear, that General Hull was only wrong in as far 
as related to the actual position of the Indian reinforcements, on 
their way from the far West. Whether, however, this was an excuse 
for the abandonment of his strong post, without an effort in its de- 
fence, is a point of discussion which this narrative does not profess 
to enteitain. Notwithstanding, there are two strong features of dissimi- 
larity between the letters of General Hull and Colonel Cass, to which 
it is impossible not to refer — namely the eagerness of the one to 
diminish his own force, and increase that of his adversary — and the 
not less evident desire of the other to show that, not only in the 
quantity, but the quality of his troops — in resources, and in means 
of defence of all kinds, the American General had decidedly the ad- 
vantage. In truth, without absolutely adopting the opinion of Col. 
Cass, as expressed in regard to the inferiority of the British troops 
engaged on this occasion, the question which suggests itself on reading 
General Hull's Official declaration, that he had not more than S00 
men on the day when General Brock appeared before Detroit natu- 
rally is — where were the 2,300 men who had been marched, little 
more than a month previously, through the state of Michigan, and 
the sound of whose drums, heard from Brownstown, as they passed 
through that village, was the first intimation the little Garrison of 
Amherstburg had had of the proximity ot so formidable a force 1 
True, 400 men had been detached under Colonel Cass, (those, as it 
has been seen, were included in the capitulation) but where were 
the remainder ? Not one hundred suffered at Maguaga. Certainly 
not fifty duiing the whole of the skirmishing at the Canard; nor had 
the defeat of Major Van Home cost the Americans more than five 
and twenty men — in all, at the very utmost. 200. Here then were 
was a decrease of 600 men, leaving under the immediate orders oi 
the American General, 1700 men, exclusive of the troops composing 
the garrison of Detroit on his arrival, and the Michigan militia. Gen- 
eral Hull alludes to his crowded hospitals. Did these contain, or 
had he on his sick list, 900 men ? Impossible. These strictures 
are necessary, because the gallant 41st. and the equally gallant and 
patriotic volunteers who followed General Brock to the theatre of 
action, cannot submit to be deprived of the glory which was theirs, 
under their distinguished leader, on the occasion of the capture of 
Detroit. They believed, and with every reason (for they knew not 



41 

•f t*h« departure of Col- Cass, for the River Raisin) that they were 
marching to the conquest of a post which was dpfended by at least 
two thousand men — and they have an undeniable right to impugn a 
statement which, incorrectly and for a sinister purpose, reduces that 
force, on paper, by two thirds of the amount. Honor, to whom hon- 
or is due. 

In the capture of Detroit, General Brock has been teimed the 
saviour of Canada, and most deservedly so. Had he not struck the 
blow he did, and at the time he did, at the American power in the 
West, Upper Canada — nay both the Canadas must have been yield- 
ed '.o the triumphant arms of the United States- At this period the 
whole force of the Province consisted of lour Regiments of the line 
namely the 8th, 41st, 49th, and 100th and, added to these, the Ca- 
nadian and Glengary fencibles, and a few companies of Veterans, 
and, of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. So insignificant a force 
could have availed little against the hordes of American irregular 
troops which would have been poured in from the west, along the 
Dt-laware and Burlington routes, and which moving in rear of the 
centre and lelt Divisions, must necessarily have cut off their commu- 
nication with the interior of the country, and so strait ned their sup- 
plies as to have rendered them an eventual conquest. That Gener- 
al Hull would have recovered from the temporary panic, which 
seems to have induced his relin quishment of his position at Sandwicti 
there can be no manner of doubt ; but even if he had not done so, and 
reduced Amherstburg, which was of vital importance to the Ameri- 
can interests, there were other leaders, and other armies, already on 
their way to reinforce him, and the subjugation of the Western Dis- 
tiicl must, on their arrival, have been assured. What then would 
have been the result? Half of the Indians, already bearing arms on 
our side, would either have seceded from a cause which they con- 
ceived us too helpless to defend, or have joined the American flag, 
while those who were undecided which paity to join, would have 
thrown their influence and numbers into the opposite ranks. As 
General Hull has truly enough stated in his official letter, most of the 
Militia of the District— particularly the French Canadian portion of 
the population, were daily thinning our ranks, by returning to their 
homes, and it required but some strong and effective demonstration, 
on the part of the enemy, to have left the regular troops in the West 
to their own unaided exertions. Fortunately it was fated to be other- 
wise. General Broc'c, with that keenness of perception, and promp- 
titude of action, which wa; so eminently characteristic of his brief but 
glorious career, at once saw the danger, and flew to meet and avert 
it. He well knew that, o:i the destruction or discomfiture of the North 
Western Army, depended the safely of the Province committed to 



W 

his charge, and the enterprize,whioh he himself has termed hazardons, 
was perilled only after profound reflection and conviction. He justly en-* 
tertained the belief that while, on the one hand, the slightest delay 
and incertitude of action, would be fatal to the interests of Great Bri- 
tain inasmuch as it must have a tendency to discourage, not only 
the inhabitants of the Province, but our Indian allies,there was, on the 
other, every probability that an immediate and vigorous attack, upon 
an enemy, who had already lost so much time in inactivity, and who 
had abandoned so many advantages, would be crowned with success. 
It was a bold-an almost dangerous measure ; but the danger of the 
country was greater, and he resolved to try the issue. He succeeded 
rom that hour Canada was saved. 

Independantly of "400 pounds of 24 pound shot, already fixed: a- 
bout 100,000 cartridges made up: 40 barrels of powder: and 25C0 
stand of arms," which had been admitted by General Hull, to Col- 
onel Cass, to have been in the lort on the day of the surrender, there 
was also a quantity of camp equipage such as tents, waggons, en- 
trenching tools &c. and moreover in the haibour, a very fine brig, the 
Adams, then unarmed, but hitherto employed in the transport of 
stores for the use of the Garrison of Detroit. With this vessel a 
very gallant affair was connected, only a few days after the capitu- 
lation. Agreeable to the terms of this, the irregular lorces ol Gener- 
al Hull were transported by water lo Buffalo, theie to be disembaik- 
ed preparatory to their return into their native State Ohio, while the 
regular troops, principally the 4th U. S. Infantry, were landed at 
Fort Erie, with a view of being marched on, as prisoners of War, to 
Lower Canada. 

The armed vessels already named, as having covered our landing, 
on the 16th, were put in requisition for this service, and to these 
were added the Adams (re-named the Detroit) and the Caledonia, a 
fine merchant brig, the propeity of Angus Macintosh Esquire of Moy, 
a few miles above Windsor. 1 do not recollect who was appoint- 
ed to the command of the Detroit, but the Caledonia had her own 
Captain-Mr. Irvine, a young Scotchman of a peculiarly retiring and 
amiable disposition and gentlemanly manners,yet endowed with great 
firmness and resolution of character. These two vessels, having 
reached their destination for landing ihe prisoners, were then lying, 
wholly unprotected and unsuspicious of danger, in the harbour of 
Erie when, one dark night, they found themselves assailed by two 
large boats, filled with American Sailors and troops which had drop- 
ped alongside without being perceived, until it was too late for any- 
thing like effectual resistance. The Detroit was almost immediate- 
ly carried, but the young Captain of the Caledonia, which lay » li<» 



Si 

tie below her, aroused from his bed by the confusion on board hi 3 
consort, prepared for a vigorous, although almost entirely pergonal, 
resistance. Hastily arming himself, and calling on liis little and 
inexperienced crew (scarcely exceeding a dozen men) to do the same, 
he threw himself in the gangway, and discharged a loaded blunder- 
buss into the first advancing boat, now dropping from the re-captu- 
red Detroit to board the Caledonia. The enemy were staggered, 
but still they pursued their object, and Mr. Irvir.e b"d barely time to 
discharge a second blunderbuss into the same boat, when he was 
felled to the deck by a cutlass-stroke from one of the crew of the se- 
cond party which had boarded him on the opposite gangway. The 
Caledonia was then secured by her captors, but the Detroit havirg 
grounded, was destroyed. 

The intrepidity and self devotion ol Mr. Irvine, whose single arm 
it appeared, had killed and wounded no less than seven of his as- 
sailants, met with that rew.ird it so richly merited. The Heads of 
the Naval Department, anxious to secure so gallant an Officer to the 
service, tendered to hi.n. on his exchange, which took place shortly 
after, the commis.-ion of a Lieutenant in the Provincial Naw, in 
which capacity he continued to serve during the whole of the nava\ 
operations connected with the Right Division. But I shall have 
occasion again to refer to the gallant bearing of Mr. Irvine. 

The surprise of the Detroit and Caledonia was considered by the 
Americans, at that time, a very brilliant feat, ahd contributed in some 
degree to dissipate the gloom which the surrender of General Hull 
and his army had occasioned. But without in the slightest way seek- 
■iig to impeach the American character for bravery, it is impossible 
to look on the exploit in the light in which they would Lave it con- 
sidered. Both vessels having been simply employed in cartel ser- 
vice, were without other than the commonest means of defence 
peculiar to merchantmen, while their crews were not only weak in 
number, but composed of a class of men — French Canadian sailors 
and voyageurs — who were ill qualified to compete with two full boat- 
loads of practiced and resolute American sailors and scldiers. More- 
over both vessels lay in peifect security, and utter absence of prepa- 
ration. They did not conceive it necessary to be on the alert, be- 
cause they imagined that the present pacific chaiacter in which they 
appeared, would have shielded them from all hostile attempt. At 
the moment of the surprise, both vessels had on board the prisoners 
with whom they had left the fort of Delioir for the purpose of being 
landed at Buffalo. However inclined to aggression, the Americans 



01 

were not justified in violating the sanctity of the flag which, of 

course, continued to float as long as there were American piisoners 
on board, remaining to be landed. It is true, it must be admitted 
that an unusual feeling of exasperation had been induced by the sur- 
render of General Hull and his army, for when the 4th Regiment, 
with the other broken corps of the American line, were marched 
from Fort Erie, where they had been landed from the Queen Char- 
lotte, on their route for the Lower Province, and escorted cnlyhy a 
portion of the detachment which had joined us at Maguaga, they 
were fired upon by stragglers from the masses of men who were 
seen lining the opposite banks of ihc Niagara river, remarking with 
evident displeasure the march of the captured troops, and thus giving 
vent to their indignation. 

An accident, at one time promising results far more serious than 
any which could spring from the capture of the vessels just named, 
occurred about the same period. General Brock, anxious to assume 
the offensive on the Niagara frontier, lost not a moment in returning 
across the Lake, ordering down at the same time, not only the To- 
ronto Militia, but those troops of the 41st. who had preceded and ac- 
companied him to Detroit. The Queen Charlotte, principally laden 
with the regulars of the captured army, had sailed on the very even- 
ing ol the surrender, and General Brock the next day embarked in a 
very small trading schooner, on board which were about 70 Ohio 
Riflemen, guarded by a small party of militia rifles which composed 
a portion of the Volunteers from Toronto. During the passage none 
of the guard were on any account permitted to go below, either by 
day or by night, and not more than half a dozen Americans were al- 
lowed to be upon deck at the same time — the hatches being secured 
above the remainder. It was a duty of some fatigue, and requiring 
the exercise of the utmost vigilance on the part of the little guard. 
One morning, about day break, when by their reckoning th« y judged 
they weie close to the harbor of Fort Erie, they found themselves 
suddenly becalmed, and in the midst of a fog which had commenced 
during the night. As the sun rose the fog began to disperse, but the 
calm prevailed, and gradually, as the Avreathing mists rolled upward f 
the guard discovered, to their dismay, that they were close upon the 
American shore near Buffalo. The danger was imminent, for a num- 
ber of persons were already assembled, evidently at a loss to disco- 
ver to what flag the vessel belonged, and wondering what had brought 
her into a position entirely out of the usual course of navigation. 
In this emergency, the officer commanding the watch (I.ieut. Jarvis, 
now Supenntendant of Indian affairs)hastened below to acquaint Gen- 
eral Brock, who was lying on bis bed, w itb th« danger which thr»at- 



01 

«ned the tessel, which it was impossible, by reason of ihe calm, t« 
get farther from the shore. General Brock in mediately sprang to 
his feel, and rushing upon deck, ;-a\v the situation of the vessel was 
precisely what has been described, lie was extremely angry, and 
turning to ihe master of the schooner ^ a i t! , "ycu sccuiidrej \cu have 
betrayed me, let hut one shot Le hied ircni the shore and (pointing 
to h) 1 will run you upon the instant to that yard aim." The master, 
though innocent of all design, was gnally alarmed by the stem 
threat of the General, and as the only j o*sible mians of extricatii g 
the vessel from herpeiilous situation, ordered several of his crew in- 
to a smalt punt, attached to her stern, tlie only boat belonging to her. 
In this thev attempted to low her. Lut made to little ]i(grcss that 
one of the guard asked permission of the General to discharge his 
rille, in order to attract the attention of the Queen Charlotte, then 
lying at anchor between point Abino and Fort Erie, to a signal which 
huJ been previously hoisted. Apprehensive that the shot might net 
be heard by their friends, while it might be the means of informing 
the ene.i.y of their true ehaiacter, General Iiock at first refused his 
sanction, but as the man seemed confident that the report of his rifle 
would reach the other shore, he finally assented, ai.d the shot was 
fired, -oon afterwards the answering signal was run up to the mast 
head of the Queen Charlotte, and that vessel, seeing the doubtful 
situation of the schooner, on board which however they were not a- 
ware the General had embarkeJ, immediately weighed her anchor, 
and standing over to the American shore, under a slight breeze 
which was '.hen beginning to rise hastened to cover the little baik 
with her bakery. Taking her in tow she brought her safely into 
the harbi-ur of Frie, greatly to the joy of those who, aware of the 
invaluable freight with which the schooner was charged, had, on the 
weighing of the Queen Charlotte's anchor, entertained the utmost 
apprehension for the safety of the becalmed vessel, and watched 
with deep interest the vain attempts of her crew to bring her off. 

The fall of Detroit having secured the tranquillity of Amhers'burg 
and its c&atiguous districts, an expedition was projected into the in- 
terior of the enemy's country, the object of which was the destruction 
of Fort Wayne, a post distant several hundred miles, and serving 
as a depot for stores, from which the various troops of the enemy, 
pushed forward to the frontier, were supplied. The garrison, accord, 
ing to the intelligence received was closely invested, by the Indians, 
and consisted merely of a few hundred men, and a few pieces of 
cannon indifferently mounted. Towards the close of September, a 
small detachment of troops, a howitzer, and two field pieces, under 
the command of Brevet Major Muir, were embarked in boats, tie* 



54 

proceeded across the lake to the Miami village, situated about rTfteers 
miles beyond the entrance of the river of the same name. Being 
there joined by the body ot Indians destined to form a part of the 
expedition, the detachment continued its route by land, and along a 
tract of country bearing no mark of civilization whatever. Our only 
covering was the canopy of Heaven, or rather the arches formed by 
the intermingling boughs of the forest through which we moved, and 
not even the wigwam of the savage arose to diversily the monotony 
of the scene. The difficulty of conveying the guns by land, caused 
their transportation to be a work of much time; and the river, from 
the point where we had disembarked, was so extremely low as to 
render the progress of the boats, following the sinuosities of its course, 
tedious to the last degree. Having at length, after much toil, gain- 
ed that part of the Miami, where it was intended to disembark the 
stores, every obstacle appealed to be removed, and the capture of 
Fort Wayne, then at no great distance, an event looked forward to 
with confidence. Fate, howevci, had ordained otherwise. About 
nine o'clock on the evening of our arrival, the shrill cry of our scouts 
was heard echoing throughout the forest, ar.d scon afterwards 
seven Indians issued from the wood on the opposite shore, anc'i 
leaping through the river, reached our encampment with the scalps 
of several Americans. The account they gave of their adventure 
was to the following effect. At a distance of a few leagues, while 
advancing cautiously along the road, they observed a party, five in 
number, in a glen, and sealed round a large fire, where they were 
busil v occupied in preparing their food. After a slight consultation 
they proceeded towards the group, and had approached within a few 
paces before they were perceived by the Americans, who instantly 
flew to theit arms, and a-sumed a posture of defence. The Indians 
however, held out their handi in token ol amity, and were sufTtred 
to enter the circle. Here, pietending to be in the American inter- 
est, and describing themselves as hunters on iheirway to one of tluir 
villa^e-, they succeeded in lulling the su-picions of the officer. Avho 
in return, communicated to them that the party he commanded were 
scouts preceding the advance d guard of an army of 2,5(0 nun, then 
on their march for the Miami village, and only distant a few miles. 
This disclosure obtained, the Indian-, satisfied that they had no time 
to lose, and throwing oil" the mask, desired them to deliver up their 
arms. The astonished party thus entrapped, and unwilling to risk 
a conte-t with a superior force, consented to accompany them as 
their prisoners, but positively refused to relinquish their rifles. Tb«y 



35 

all therefore proceeded in silence towards onr encampment, three 
Indians on each flank of their prisoners, and one in the rear. On 
the approach of evening, the Americans were again desired to deliv- 
er up their rifles, and on refusing to c!o so, at a signal given by one 
of the Indians, the whole of his party dropped, one by one, and appa- 
rently without premeditation, behind. Each then selected his vic- 
tim, and four of these unhappy men fell to rise no more. The officer 
alone, slightly wounded, made an ineffectual attempt to escape, but 
closely pursued through the intricacies of the ion wo of nis 

foes, he was at length overtaken, and felled to the earth by a blow 
from a tomahawk. This cruel scene must have taken place at no 
great distance from our encampment, the shots having been distinct- 
ly heard about half an hour before the appearance of the Indians, 
who, on being questioned, excused their conduct .under the plea of 
the Americans being, nearly equal in numbers to themselves, and 
obstinately refusing to deliver up their arms — circumstances which 
rendered their destruction, at the approach of evening, a measure oi 
self-security — especially so, as having bten sent in advance four or 
five days before, they were not aware of cur being encan ped at so 
short a distance. 

In consequence of the fori going intelligence, all idea of continu- 
ing the expedition against Fort Wayne was abandoned, aid the 
boats were ordered the same evening to descend the river. Major 
Muir having, however, resolved to await the ap; roach of the ene- 
my, a position was taken up early on the following morning on the^ 
heights overlooking the ford at which the Americans were expected to 
cross. Having passed the whole of the day in the vain expectation 
of his appearance, it was at length decided on, that the enemy 
apprised of our vicinity by the view of the bodies of their scouts 
slain the evening before, had taken a different direction, and instead 
of traversing the river at the usual ford, had forced their march by a 
less frequented route on the opposite short. Such a manoeuvre on the 
part of the American general would necessarily have cut off our re- 
treat, and we musi have combated an enemy infinitely superior in 
numbers, under every disadvantage, in the heart of his own country 
and, in the event of our beats falling into his hands, destitute f 
every resource. The detachment was consequently ordered to re. 
tire on the old fort of Defiance, situated about halfway between the 
Miami village and the point from whence we commenced our re- 
treat, formerly garrisoned by the British troops, during the celebra- 
ted Ponteac war, so fatally waged against us by the confederated 



rribesof Indians, but then m a state of utter ruin and dilapidation* 
Having crossed the river at this place, a position was again taken up 
at a point beyond which the enemy could not effect his passage un- 
pereeived. Here, however, we did not long remain. Early on the 
morning after our arrival, a party of Indians appeared along our line, 
conducting a prisoner they had found straying in the woods, at a 
short distance from the enemy's eamp. Ficm his account it appear- 
ed that the information given by the American officer was p«rfecily 
correct. The force of the enemy consisted c( 2.5C0 men, under the 
command of General Winchester; and wire destined forthe Miami, 
where it was intended to construct a fortification. On arriving at 
the spot where their slaughtered scouts lay unburied along the road, 
an alarm was spread throughout their columns, and deeming a nu- 
merous enemy to be in their front, it was thought prudent to en- 
trench themselves where they were. For this purpose trees were 
immediatoly felled, and in the course of a few hours, with that ex- 
pedition for which the Western Americans, with whom the axe is 
almost as indispensable a weapon as the lifle, are lemarkable, an 
enclosure with interstices for musquetry, and sufficiently large to 
contain their whole force, together with their baigage and waggons, 
was completed. It being evident from this intelligence, that the ob- 
ject of our enterprise was entirely frustrated, and that an attack on 
the enemy's entrenchment with our leeble force, if unsuccessful, 
must necessarily compromise the safely of our own posts, Major Muir 
decided on returning to Amherstburg, which fortress the detach- 
ment at length reached after a fruitless absence ol three weeks. 

Although little or no mention has ever been made of cur retrca 
from Fort Wayne, before so overwhelming a force as that which we 
so unexpectedly encountered, and by which we ought to have been an- 
nihilated, the utmost praise is due 10 Major Muir tor having accom- 
plished it, not only without the loss of a man of his detachment, but 
even without the abandonment of any of his guns or stores, which, 
as has already been stated, were being transported with great toil 
a nd difficulty. Every thing was brought off and. at no one moment, was 
our march precipitate. Indeed of the bold front assumed by the detach- 
ment, some idea may be formed from the iollowing briel accounts 
which appeared in the American papers, even during the time we were 
retiring upon Amherstburg 

Chilicothe, October 6th, 1812. 

Col. James Dunlop. who returned last evening from St. Mary'i, re- 
ports that an express arrived from that place to General Harrison 



S7 

from General Winchester, urging him to repair immediately to Fort 
Defiance. That Harrison marched with all expedition ai the head 
of 2.500 or 3,000 mounted riflemen. The express stated that Gene- 
ral Winchester was at or near Fort Defiance, with about 3,000 Ohio 
and Kentucky Volunteers, and that a body of Indians and British 
amounting to 2,000 or 3,000 with six pieces of Ar'.illery, lay encamp- 
ed about three miles from him. Winchester was hourly expecting 
an attack. 

Chilicothe, October 7th. 
The vanguard of the North Western army, under General Win- 
chester, arrived some days ago at lsidonia from Fort Defiance. It 
was composed of Payne's Brigade of Kentucky Volunteers, Gerrard's 
troop of Dragoons, and about 400 of the i7th Regiment of regulars. 
They advanced to within three miles of Fort Defiance (on which we 
had retired) and there found 3,000 British and Indians with six pie- 
ces of artillery who had fortified themselves in the Fort. Winches- 
ter also fortrfied his camp, and waited for reinforcements. 

Now as I was on this, as well as every other expedition underta- 
ken by the Right Division, during its military existence, I can, from 
my own personal knowledge, aver that there were not more than 150 
regular troops of every description, (principally the 41st.) and the 
same number of militia, composing the detachment under Major Muir, 
on this occasion. My impression — and it is a very strong one — is that 
it did not exceed two thirds of that number, but as, unfortunately all 
official papers connected with the Regiment, were lost at the Mora- 
vian town, it has been utterly impossible to ascertain the correct em- 
barkation return of the troops employed on this, as well as on various 
other similar occasions. If I admit 300 men, I do so, not from a be- 
lief that there was so many, but from an apprehension ot underrating 
our actual strength. Our Indian force did not exceed 500 men, and 
our artillery, as has been stated, consisted of one small howitzer — 
(the calibre I forget)-and two three-pounders. We did net fortify our- 
selves in Fort Defiance, but occupied it one day, during the greater 
part of which we continued on the skirt of the surrounding wood, 
provoking, the enemy to attack us, Dy the occasional advance and re- 
treat of the Indians. Three days, at different periods, during the 
time it took us to retire, covering our guns and stores, we halted and 
formed, in order to give the enemy time to come up, and of the po- 
sition we had assumed on the very last day, alter crossing the Miami 
at the ford near the Rapids, some idea may be formed, from the fol- 
lowing extracts from a report from General Tupper, who commanded 
the Kentucky riflemen of General Winchester's Division. 

General Tupper to General Harrison. 

Urbana, Oct. I2ih, 1812. 
Sir, — On receiving your order of the 4th inst. to proceed to the 
Rapid?, with the whole force of mounted men under my command, 



whose horses were in a fondltiou to perform the serrtce; I saasrti 
an examination to be immediately had, and found that there still re- 
mained 960 men, including also Captain Bacon's, and and one other 
company which left us the morning following," 

******** 

I ordered returns to be made so that each man should be furnished 
with 12 rounds ; this return amounted to 4,500 cartridges for the mus- 
ket men, exclusive of Major Roper's battalion ; the ammunition of 
the riflemen having received very little damage ; Quarter-Master lias- 
Bay called on the Quarter-Master in General Winchester's camp, and 
returned without a supply. About one o'clock this day, a man be- 
longing to Captain Manary's company of Rangers, was killed and 
scalped across the Miami, within two hundred yards ol our camp. 
I gave immediate orders to arm, and in five minutes, to horse, but 
owing to our being compelled to confine our horses during the night, 
and graze them by day, for want of forage, the greater part, at this 
moment, were under keepers, nearly one mile from camp up the 
Auglaise. In the mean time 1 permitted Major Brush to cross over 
•with about 50 foot, to examine the bank, and see in what direction 
the Indians had retired, but before he reached the opposite shore, 
every horseman whose horse was in camp, was mounted to follow 
over. It was in vain that 1 made an attempt to keep them back, till 
they were formed — they broke off in numbers from 20 to 30, mostly 
without their officers and crossed the woods in every diiection ; aparty 
of 15 fell upon the trail of the Indians, and 7 or 8 miles distance, 
overtook them, but finding them halted and iormed, our men, with- 
out waiting for a discharge from the enemy, returned to camp." 
******** 

When it was found that General Winchester had suspended me 
in the command, the whole force from Ohio broke off, crossed the 
Auglaize, and refused to march as directed by General Winchester. 

With the then remaining force 1 proceeded to this place, whe 4 e I 
directed Col. Findlay and Major Roper to discharge such men as 
had continued to their duty. 

Thus, Sir, has terminated an expedition, at one time capable of 
tearing the British flag from the wails ol Detroit, wherein our troops 
might have returned, with the pleasing reflection of having done their 
country an essential service. 

It is a duty, Sir, I owe to the officers of the Kentucky force, to Col- 
onel Findlay and the officeis of the first Battalion, to say that they 
were zealous in pressing forward the expedition; while the officers 
of the second Battalion, commanded by Major Taylor, with a few 
exceptions, were shrinking from their duty, and shamefully deserting 
the cause of the country. 

The detachment of Colonel Simiral's Regiment from our force, 
stands prominent among the causes of our failure ; aheady was there 
panic in some parts of our. camp; the enemy that had retired at Gen- 
eral Winchester's approach, had been greatly magnified. The day 
succeeding the alarm, he drew in one wing of his iines,and strength- 
ened his camp with a breastwork — even this circumstance was no- 
ticed and urged as an evidence that he apprehended a force superior 
to his own. Thus, when imaginary obstacles unite with those that 
are real, to oppose the movements of a force so insubordinate, as that 
every man's will is his law, little can be expected by the officers, rmt 
a plwitifal harvest of mortificatios and disgrace. ''' 



At the period of this expedition, to ray young and unpractised mi- 
litary eye. the movements of our little force had appeared scarcely 
worthy of remark, because we had had no actual fighting, but, of later 
years, and particularly after having had access to the American ac- 
counts of our retreat, my impression of its extreme military lact and 
judiciousness has been greatly increased. In truth it is the only af- 
fair, during the whole of the war of 1812, in which any thing approach- 
ing to manoeuvre was displayed, for the simple reason that no other 
opportunity had ever been afforded. Here however was a ten day's 
retreat, conducted by the leader of a handful of men, before a vastly 
superior force of the enemy, to whom buttle had been offered on three 
several occasions during that period, and that in a manner to reflect 
a credit upon the gallant Major Muir, which should not be lost sight 
of by the future historian of this country. 

James, in his History of the War, despatches the subject of Fort 
Wayne in a very summary manner. He states that it was contem- 
plated to send an expedition against it, but that the idea was aban- 
doned in consequence of General Brock having communicated to 
Colonel Procter at Amherslburg, information ot the armistice which 
had been concluded with General Dearborn, by Sir George Prevost, 
expressing at the same time a desire, that although the armistice did 
notextend to Generai Hull's recent command, the Indians should 
be restrained as much as possible, from the commission of any act of 
hostility. Now, not only, as it is seen, was the idea not abandoned 
but the expedition had penetrated a greater distance (nearly two hun- 
dred miles) into the enemy's country, and were longer absent from 
the Garrison, than any other that subsequently left the harbor of 
Amherstburg. 

A day or two before our return from this long and tedious expedi- 
tion, we saw the prisoner who had been taken by the Indians, soon af- 
ter we commenced our retrograde movement. He had been with the 
person alluded to in General Tupper's report to General Harrison, as 
having been killed and scalped within two hundred yards of their en- 
campment, and to avenge whose death the Kentucky mounted rifle- 
men had evinced so much fruitless alacrity. The captive was al- 
ready adopted in that tribe of Indians, to which his captors belonged, 
and was habited after their manner. His head was partly shaved, 
and covered with a handkerchief, rolled in the form of a turban. His 
face was painted several colors, and so complete was the metamor- 
phosis, that but for the whiteness of skin visible through several parts 
of his dress, it would have been difficult to distinguish him from tho«e 
fey whom he was surrounded. At tht moment we sawhim,hew»ss««t- 



00 

cd in a tent, sharing the evening-meal of his new countrymen, with 
much appetite and unconcern. He expressed himself as being quit* 
reconciled to his new condition, and spoke with warmth of the kind 
treatment he had received; nor did he seem to attach much conse- 
quence to the assurance given him that every exertion would be made 
•on our return to obtain his liberation. We saw him some weeks 
later at Amherstburg; and strange as it may appear, he assured us that 
he preferred the idle life he had led among the Indians, to a repetition 
of active service in the American army. 

About this period Mr. Robert Dickson arrived at Amherstburg 
with a number of canoes, filled with warriors of the fiercest character 
and appearance. Among the most remarkable of these tribes were 
the Sawkies, a race of men whose towering height, athletic form3, 
and nobleness of feature, might recal the idea of the Romans in the 
earlier stages of their barbarity ; and another tribe, whose Indian 
name I do not recollect, but who were known among ourselves by 
their assumed appellation of devoted men. The costume of the lat- 
ter was a dress of white leather, extremely pliant, and curiously em- 
broidered with the stained quills of the porcupine, in the preparation 
of which the natives evince much taste and ingenuity. They were 
few in number, and, professing to hold death in derision, were looked 
upon by the other warriors much in the same light that we regard 
our forlorn hope, the post of danger being reserved for them. One 
of their chiefs having been invited to breakfast with several officers 
of the garrison, was at much pains, in the course of the meal, to im- 
press upon the minds ol his hosts the particular virtues of his tribe; 
and in order to demonstrate more fully the extent to which they car- 
ried their disregard of pain or death, drew a sharp knife from its 
sheath, and, having cut a piece of flesh out of one of his thighs, threw 
it contemptuously away, exclaiming that 'he gave it to the dogs.' 

The arrival of this reinforcement increased our Indian force to a- 
bout three thousand Warriors. The small detachment of the 41st 
Regiment not 300 strong, and a company of the Newfoundland Fen- 
cibles, composed the whole of our regular force. The latter were, 
however, employed as Marines on board the different vessels of war, 
so that the defence of the two fortresses of Detroit and Amherstburg 
was entrusted to the 41st alone. 

The month of October was marked by an event of the most me- 
lancholy and disastrous nature — the death of the noble Brock, who 
fella victim to the daring and intrepidity of his character, and m 
the performance of a duty which should have beeu executed by » 
•uptain of a company. 



61 

On his arrival at Fort George, which he reached ia eight days from 
the surrender of Detroit, the General found, to his great dismay, 
that an armistice had been entered into and concluded, during his 
absence, between Sir George Prevost and General Dearborn, com- 
mander in Chief of the American Aimy, so that the whole of his 
plans of operation weie deranged, and instead of carrying the Ame- 
rican fort of Niagara by an instant coup de main, as he had propo- 
sed, and which was to have been a preliminaiy to more extended 
offensive demonstrations, he found himself compelled to sit quietly 
down in presence of his enemy, and watch, without being enabled to 
interrupt them, his unremitting preparations for defence. From 
this state of supmeness and mortification he was only first actively 
aroused on the early morning of the 13th of October, by an alarm gi- 
ven by the sentinel stationed at the point above Fort George, that he 
had seen and heard firing in the direction of Queenstown. In a few 
minutes the General was on his horse, and, unattended even by an 
Aid-de-Camp, galloping onward to Q,ueenstown to ascertain the 
cause of the alarm. On arriving about half way to Brown's-point, 
he was met by Lieut. Jarvis, of Captain Cameron's Flank Company 
of York Militia, which, with Captain He ward's, was stationed there. 
This officer had been on guard at what was called the half moon 
battery, about mid-way between Q,ueenstown and Niagara,and obser- 
ving on the water, opposite to the former place, numerous and rapid 
flashes of fire-arms, had alarmed the Officer Comanding the detach- 
ment, who immediately ordered the two companies under arms. An 
Officer was at the same time despatched to Oueenstown, to obtain in- 
formation* Scarcely had the men been turned out, when an Officer, 
who had passed their own messenger on the road, arrived from 
Q,ueenstown with intelligence that the Americans were crossing in 
force, and an order for the detaebmentat Brown's point to march up im- 
mediately, and assist in opposing their landing. He was moreover 
directed to desire that the Officer commanding should instantly des- 
patch a messenger to Fort George, to apprize General Brock of the 
movement of the enemy. Lieut. Jarvis, who happened to be tht 
only person mounted, was ordered on this service, and he had 
galloped about halfway to Fort George, when he met General Brock 
wholly unattended, cantering his charger up the ©.ueenstown road. 
As the day had begun to dawn, Lieut. Jarvis had no difficulty in re- 
cognizing the General, but such was the spirit of his horse that he 
eould not rein him in, but was borne past, shouting out to his Chief 
to stop, as he had most important new, to communicate, But the 



69 

General was too Impatient to reach the scene of danger to delay a 
moment, and beckoning the officer to follow him, he still continued 
his course. After the lapse of a few minutes Lieut. Jarvis suc- 
ceeded in reining in. and wheeling his restive horse, and soon gain- 
ing the General's side, communicated his information. Without' in 
the slightest degree abating his speed even for an instant, the Ge- 
neral listened, and then gave his orders. These were that Lieute- 
nant Jarvis should go with all speed to Fort George, and order up Ge- 
neral Sheaffe with the whole'of thereserve. Hemoreoverparticularly di- 
rected that the Indians, a small party of whom were encamped near 
Fort George, should be thrown out upon the right, to occupy the 
woods, during the advance of the reserve to his support. 

Scarcely had Lieut. Jarvis lost sight of the General, on his way 
to execute the order he had received, when he, was met by Col. Mc- 
Donell. who was following after his Chief, and who, in his hurry 
to overtake him, had left Fort George without even recollecting that 
he was unprovided with his sword. Having satisfied himself that 
the General was not far in advance, he begged Lieut. Jarvis to *up- 
ply the deficiency, stating at the same time where he would find 
his own sabre, in his quarters at Fort George, and desiring him to 
appropriate it to his use for the day. The young officer com- 
plied with his request, and hurriedly parted with the gallant Colo- 
nel, as he had wiih the General, for ever. 

Having given these brief yet interesting particulars, in regard to 
the two brave men whose ashes now repose under the same monu- 
mental stone, on the heights near which they fell, only a few hours 
later, it is time to pass to the scene of action to whichthey were 
hastening. 

The Americans, availing themselves ot the armistice entered in- 
to by Sir George Prevost, had contrived to push forward a large 
force to their camp at Lewiston, under General Van Ransellaer, with 
the view ol an invasion of Canada, similar to that of General Hull. 
Their force was a powerful one, and their plan of operation highly judi- 
cious, but fortunately it failed, from want of unanimity and ardor 
in the irregular portion of their troops. General Van Ransellaer 
having concerted his mode ot attack, caused thirteen boats to be col- 
lected in the course of the 12th of October, for the purpose of cross- 
ing over his army long before the dawn of the following day. James 
who seems to be good authority in this matter, states — 

•' The embarkation was to have taken place as follows. Col. Van 
Ransellaer, who commanded, with 300 Militia and Lieut. Col. 



Christie with 300 regular; Lieu;. Col. Fenwick and Majut Mullanf 
to follow with about 550 regular troops; and some pieces of flyirg 
Artillery; and then the militia. It was intended that the embarka- 
tion of the regulars ai.d militia should be simultaneous, as far as the 
boats would suffice to receive them; but having to descend the bank 
by a narrow path which had been cut out of it, the regular troops 
got possession of the boats to the exclusion of the militia; and the 
latter were ordered to follow in the return boats. 

The only British batteries, from which the troops could be annoy- 
ed in the passage, were one, mounting an 13 pounder, upon Queen- 
stown Heights, ^about half w.iy up) and another mounting a 24 pound 
carronade, situate a little below the town. The river at Q,ueenstown 
is scaicely a quarter of a mile in width, and the part chosen for cros- 
ing vva; not fully exposed to either of the British batteries; while the 
American batteries of two 18, and two 6 pounders, and the two 
6-pounder field pieces, brought up by Lieutenant Colonel Scott, com- 
pletely commanded every part of the opposite shore, from which mus- 
ketry could be effectual in opposing a landing. With these import- 
ant advantages the troops embarked; but a grape-shot striking the 
boat in which Lieutenant Colonel Christie was, and wounding him 
in the hand, the pilot and the boatmen became so alarmed, that they 
suffered the boat to fall below the point of landing, and were obliged 
in consequence to put back. Two other boats did the same. The 
remaining ten with the 225 regulars, besides officers, including the 
commander of the detachment, Colonel Van Ransellaer, struck the 
shore ; and, after disembarking the men. returned for more troops. 

The only force at Q,ueensto\vn(at the landing of the enemy) con- 
sisted of the two flank companies of the 49th Regt. and a small de- 
tachment of militia ; amounting in all to about 300 rank and file. Of 
these about 60, taken from the 49th Grenadiers, and Captain Hatt's 
company of militia, having in charge a 3 poundtr, advanced at four 
o'clock in the morning, with Captain Dennis of the 49th at their head, 
towards the river, near to which Colonel Van Ransaeller had forrted 
his men, to await the arrival ot the next boats. A well directed and 
warmly continued fire killed and wounded several American officers 
and privates, including, among the wounded Colonel Van Ransellaei 
and three Captains, and drove the Americans close to the water J 6 
edge. In the mean time a Iresh supply of troops had effected a land- 
ing; and remained with the others sheltered behind the bank; whence 
they returned the fire of the British, killing one man, and wounding 
four. The remaining subdivisions of the 49th Grenadiers and of the 
nilitja company had now joined Captain Dennis; and the 49th Light 
Infantry under Captain Williams, with Captain Chisholtn's company 
of militia, stationed on the brow of the hill, were firing down upon 
the invaders. 

Of five or six boats that attempted to land a body of American 
regulars under Major Mullany, one was destroyed by a shot from the 
hill-battery commanded by Lieutenant Crowther of the 41st Repi- 
ment; two others were captured, and the remainder, foiled in their 
object, returned to the American side. Day light appeared, and at 
the same instant General Brock arrived at the hill battery from Foi t 
George. Observing the strong reinforcements that were crossinj 
over, the General instantly ordered Captain Williams to descend th« 
hill and support Captain Dennis. No sooner were Captain Wil- 
Jiams and his men seen to depart, than the Americans formed th« 



resolution of gaining the heights. Accordingly 60 American regu- 
lars, headed by Captain Wool, and accompanied by Major Lush, a 
volunteer, also by a Captain, six Lieutenants and an Ensign of the 
13th Regiment, ascended a fisherman's path up the rocks, which had 
been reported to General Brock as impassable, and therefore was not 
guarded. The Americans were thus enabled, unseen by our troops, 
to arrive at a brow, about 30 yards in rear of the hill-battery. Rein- 
forcements kept rapidly arriving by the concealed path; and the 
whole formed on the brow, with their front towards the Village of 
Q,ueensto\vn. 

The moment General Brock discovered the unexpected advance 
of the American troops, he, with the 12 men stationed at the battery, 
retired; and Captain Wool, advancing from the rear with his more 
than tenfold force, took possession of it. Captain Williams and his 
detachment of regulars and militia were now recalled; and General 
Brock putting himself at the head of this force, amounting in all to 
about 90 men, advanced to meet a detachment of 150 picked Ameri- 
can regulars, which Captain Wool had sent forward to attack him. 
While animating his little band of regulars and militia to a charge 
up the heights, General Brock received a mortal wound in the breast, 
and immediately fell. 

At this moment the two flank companies of the York militia, with 
Lieutenant Colonel McDonnell, thi Generals' Provincial Aide-de- 
camp at their head, arrived from Brown's point, three miles distant. 
By this time also Captain Wool had sent additional reinforcements 
to'Captain Ogilvie; making the latter's force "320 regulars, support- 
ed by a few militia and volunteers," or, on the whole, full 500 men. 
Colonel McDonnell and his 90 men — more than two thirds Cana- 
nian militia — rushed boldly up the hill, in defiance of the continued 
stream of musketry pouring down upon them; compelled the Ameri- 
cans to spike the 18 pounder; and would have again driven them to 
the rocks, had not the Colonel and Captain Williams been wounded 
almost at the same instant; the former mortally. The loss of their 
commanders created confusion among the men, and they again re- 
treated. Hearing of the fall of General Brock, Captain Dennis pro- 
ceeded from the valley, towards the foot of the heights, and mount- 
ing the General's horse, rode up, and tried to rally the troops. He 
succeeded in forming a few ; but the number was so inconsiderable 
that to persist in a contest, would have been madness. A retreat 
was accordingly ordered, by the ground in the rear of the town; and 
the men of the 49th, accompanied by many of the militia. formed in front 
at Vromonts battery, there to await the expected reinforcement from 
Fort George. 

While we had at this period not above 200 unwounded men at 
Q,ueenstown, the Americans, by their own account, had Upwards of 
800, and General Van Ransaeller tells us that "a number of boats 
now crossed over, unannoyed except by one unsilenced gun," or that 
at Vromont's battery; consequently more troops were hourly arriving. 
Brigadier General Wadsworlh was left as commanding officer of the 
Americans on the Q,ueenstown hill ; and General Van Ransaeller, 
considering the victory as complete, had himself crossed over, in or- 
der to give directions about fortifying the camp, which he intended 
to ocenpv in the British territory." 

Thus far then is, lucidly and accurately enough, explained the ua- 



65 

ture of the contest, and the relative positions of the two forces, up te 
the moment of the arrival of the reserve from Fort George. It may 
not however be unimportant to add, that among the officers wounded 
in the repulse, and of whom no mention is made by James, were Cap- 
tain Dennis of the 49th Grenadiers, and the present Mr. Justice Mc- 
Lean of Toronto, who was then a brother subaltern with Mr. Jarvis, 
in Captain Cameron's flank company of militia. The latter was very 
severely wounded, yet brought off by the retreating party. The for- 
mer had received a ball in his thigh, yet impatient of the delay of a 
regular treatment, he, with characteristic sangfroid, stopped the ef- 
fusion of blood by thrusting his finger into the wound, and in that 
manner, supported his share in the action to the last. The fall of 
so many brave officers had naturally the effect of dispiriting the men, 
and the remains of the detachment continued their retreat to Dur- 
ham's farm, about two miles and a half below Queenstown, where. 
Colonel McDonnell's almost lifeless body was deposited, preparatory 
to its final removal to the Government-House at Fort George, in 
which the gallant officer breathed his last, scon after his arrival. — 
The body of the Hero of Canada had been left behind, in one of the 
houses in Q,ueenstown, hurriedly covered with a pile of old blankets 
in order to prevent any recognition by the enemy. 

It was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when the anxiously expected 
reserve, under General Sheafie, consisting principally of the 41st. 
Regiment, made its appearance at Durham's farm. The whole then 
moved forward in a westernly direction towards the village of St. 
David, for the purpose of gaining the rear of the mountain. 
Here, as might have been expected, the military tact and prevoyanceot 
the fallen leader, in urgently desiring the advance of the Indians, to 
clear a passage for the troops in their ascent of the heights, was 
made manifest. The column had been halted at the base of the moun- 
tain far to the right of the Q,ueenstown road, and incbning towards 
that which traverses it from St. David. Profiting by the suggestion 
of his late superior, General Sheaffe sent forward the Indians, who 
rapidly ascended the heights, and so well and so gallantly occupied 
the American pickets, which had been thrown out in that direction, 
that the little army was enabled to gain the summit of the mountain, 
by an oblique movement to the right, almost without opposition, and 
wholly without loss. 

And now had arrived the crisis which was to decide, for a brief 
season at least, the destinies of Canada, and the honor of the Bri- 
tish arms. 



66 

The height gained on the flank of the enemy, who were discover- 
ed drawn up in preparation for the attack, the British line, not ex- 
ceeding 800 men, was instantly formed. On the extreme left, and 
resting on the brow of the hill, were the Indians, and next to these 
the companies of militia who had already borne so honorable a share 
in the contest of the morning, and a few others just arrived, with 
General Sheaffs, from Fort George. The centre was composed of 
the remnant of the 49th flank companies, and the right of the main 
body of the 41st Regiment — about 350 bayonets — commanded by 
Captain Derenzy. At this critical moment, and just as the action 
was about to commence, Captain Bullock, with the principal portion 
of the 41st grenadiers, suddenly made his appearance from Chippe- 
wa, followed by Lieut. Bullock, of the same company, who has- 
tened from his station opposite Navy Island, with the few men he had 
under his command, partly grenadiers and partly battalion men- The 
opportune arrival of these little detachments (numbering together 
100 bayonets) which immediately took their proper stations in the 
line, the extreme right of the grenadiers resting on the road leading 
to the Falls, was hailed as an earnest of success by the little band, 
Avho were animated by the most eager desireto encounter the enemy, 
and avenge the fall of their noble and lamented Chief. The mo- 
ment of their triumph at length arrived. Between the extreme flank 
of the 41st, and the bold precipice of Q,ueenstown heights, there was 
a space covered with small trees, and stunted pines. Under cover 
of these, the American left, attempted to turn the outer flank of the 
41st, but were met by such a warm and destructive fire, that they were 
checked and thrown into confusion. Almost simultaneously with 
this movement of the enemy, commenced an attack upon their cen- 
tre, by the light company of the 41st under Lieut. Macintyre, and 
on their extreme right, by the Indians, who were led into action by 
their Chief Norton — or Teyoninhokarawen — as he Is named in the 
British armv Lists even of the present day. Both these parties 
commenced the action with great spirit, driving the Americans be- 
foie them, and when it was perceived that the attempt of the enemy 
to turn our right had so signally failed, a tremendous shout arose 
from the British troops, which, mingling with the war whoop of 
the Indians, staggered the wavering assailants still more. At that 
instant the advance was sounded, and the whole line rushed eager- 
ly forward upon the enemy, who made little or no resistance, but 
broke and fled in the utmost consternation, closely followed by the 
immolating bayonet and tomahawk. Many, in their panic, threw 



67 

themselves over the precipice, and were of course dashed to pieces in 
their descent. But quarter having at length been demanded by the 
American commander, this was given, and 900 prisoners, including 
one General and 72 inferior officers, in some degree atoned tor — it 
was impossible to repay — the grievous loss the country had sustain- 
ed in the morning of that otherwise glorious day. 

The British loss at Q,ueenstown was 11 killed and 60 wounded of 
the line and militia; and 5 killed and 9 wounded of the brave Indians. 
The number of killed and wounded of the Americans is not precise- 
ly known. The former has however been admitted by themselves 
to have been between 90 and 100. Independently of those killed 
upon the field, and dashed over the precipice, a great number perish- 
ed in two or three boats sunk by the fire from our batteries. 

Again, on this occasion, was the present Chief Justice conspicu- 
ous for his zeal and his gallintry. In the absence of his Captain, 
(Heward) who was upon leave, he commanded the 2nd flank com- 
pany during the whole of the day. He consequently bore a promi- 
nent part in the engagement, from the moment when he arrived at 
early dawn from Brown's point where, it has been seen, he was sta- 
tioned with No. 1, or Captain Cameron's company, to the late hour 
in the afternoon, when victory finally perched on the British standard. 
The officers attached to Lieut. Robinson, were Lieut. Stanton, and 
Lieut. Samuel P. Jarvis. The subalterns of Captain Cameron's 
company were Lieut. Jarvie, Lieut. Archibald McLean, and Lieut. 
Geo. Ridout. Captain Hatt's, and Captain Chisholm's companies 
were the first to oppose the landing of the enemy. 

The victory of Queenstown heights, although fought at a distance 
from the principal theatre of their service, the right Division distinct- 
ly claim as their own, The main body of the 41st, who later com- 
posed that Division, principally sustained the action, and among 
these were the grenadiers who had already assisted at the capture 
of Detroit. Moreover there were there the York volunteers who 
also had participated in that memorable triumph. True, the 49th 
Flank Companies, and especially their leaders, had gallantly done 
their duty in the morning, but nevertheless they were defeated, and 
driven back, and the Queenslown heights had been so completely 
gained that no impediment was offered to the passage of the Ameri- 
can troops who, at the momentwhen the 4 1st, under Captain Derenzy, 
and the detachments of the same corps from Chippewa, made their 
appearance, numbered not less than 1,400 men. Under these circum- 
stances it is that the Right Division claim, and justly, the laurels 
won on this day. 



08 

Ae no portrait, public or private, of General Brock, »eems to hare 
been preserved in the country, it may not be unimportant here to 
give a slight written sketch of the hero. In person he was tall, stout 
and inclining to corpulency: he was of fair, and florid complexion, 
had a large forehead, full face, but not prominent leatures, rather 
small, greyish blue eyes, with a very slight cast in one of them — 
small mouth, with a pleasing smile, and good teeth. In manner he 
was exceedingly affable and gentlemanly, of a cheerful and social 
habit, partial to dancing, and although never married, extremely de- 
voted to female society. Of the chivalry of his nature, and the sound- 
ness of his judgment, evidence enough has been given in the fore- 
going pages to render all comment thereon a matter of supereiogation. 

The following is the Official account of the Action 

From Major General Sheaffe to Sir George Prevost. 

Fort George Oct. 13th 1812. 

Sir, — I have the honor of informing your Excellency, that the en- 
emy made an attack, with considerable force, this morning, before 
day-light, on the position of Queenstown. On receiving intelligence 
of it, Major General Brock immediately proceeded to that post ; and 
I am excessively grieved in having to add, that he fell whilst gal- 
lantly cheering his troops to an exeition for maintaining it. With 
him the position was lost: but the enemy was not allowed to retain 
it long, reinforcements having been sent up from this post, compos- 
ed of regulars troops, militia, and Indians, a movement was made 
to turn his left, whilst some artillery, under the able direction of 
Captain Holcroft, supported by a body of infantry, engaged his at- 
tention in front. This operation was aided 100 by the judicious po- 
sition which Norton and the Indians with him, had taken on the 
woody brow, of the high ground above Queenstown. A communi- 
cation being thus opened with Chippeway, a junction was formed 
with succours that had been ordered from that post. The enemy 
was then attacked, and after a short but spirited conflict, was com- 
pletely defeated. I had the satisfaction of receiving the sword of 
their commander Brigadier General Wadsworth" on the field of bat- 
tle, and many Officers, with 900 men, were made prisoners, and more 
may yet be expected. A stand of colours and one 0-pounder, were 
also taken. The action did not terminate till nearly three o'clock 
in the afternoon, and their loss, in killed and wounded, must have 
been considerable. Ours, I believe to have been comparatively 
small in numbers : no officer was killed besides Major-General 
Brock, one of the most gallant and zealous officers in his Majesty's 
service whose loss cannot be too much deplored, and Lieutenant 
Colonel Macdonnell, provincial aide-de-camp, whose gallantry and 
merit render him worthy of his chief. 

Captains Dennis and Williams, commanding the Hank compa- 
nies of the 49th regiment, who were stationed at Q,ueenstown, were 
wounded, bravely contending at the head of their men against supe- 
rior numbers ; but I am glad to have it in my power to add, that 



69 

Captain Dennis fortunately was able to keep the field, though it was 
with pain and difficulty ; and Captain Williams's wound is not like- 
ly long to deprive me of his services. 

I am particularly indebted to Captain Holcroftof the royal artille- 
ry, for his judicious and skillful co-operation with the guns and 
howitzers under his immediate superintendance ; their well direct- 
ed fire contributed materially to the fortunate result of the day. 

Captain Derenzy of the 41st regiment, brought up the reinforce- 
ment of that corps from Fort George, and Captain Bullock led that 
of the same regiment from Chippeway ; and under their commands 
those detachments acquitted themselves in such a manner, as to 
sustain the reputation which the 41st regiment had already acquired 
in the vicinity of Detroit. 

Major General Brock, soon after his arrival at Queenstown, had 
sent down orders for battering the American Fort Niagara. Brigade 
Major Evans, who was left in charge of Fort George, directed the 
operations against it with so much effect, as to silence its fires, and 
to force the troops to abandon it, and by his prudent precautions, he 
prevented mischief of a most serious nature, which otherwise might 
have been effected, the enemy having used heated shot in firing at 
Fort George. In these services he was most effectually aided by 
Colonel Claus (who remained in the fort at my desire,) and by 
Captain Vigoreaux, of the royal engineers. Brigade Major Evans 
also mentions the conduct of Captains Powell and Cameron, of the 
Militia artillery, in terms of commendation. 

Lieut. Crowther, of the 41st regiment, had charge of two 3-pound- 
ers that had accompanied the movement of our little corps, and they 
were employed with good effect. 

Captain Glegg, of the 49th regiment, aide-de-camp to our lament- 
ed friend and general, afforded me the most essential assistance ; and 
I found the services of Lieutenant Fowler of the 41st regiment, as- 
sistant-depuly-quarter-masler-general, very useful. I derived much 
aid, too, from the activity and intelligence of Lieutenant Kerr, of the 
Glengary Fencibles, whom I employed in communicating with the 
Indians and other flanking parties. 

I was unfortunately deprived of the aid and experience of lieu- 
tenant colonel Myers, deputy quarter-master-general, who had 
been sent up to Fort Erie a few days before on duty, which detain- 
ed him there. 

Lieutenant-colonels Butler and Clark of the militia ; and Cap- 
tains Hatt, Durand, Rowe, Applegarth, James, Crooks, Cooper. Ro- 
bert Hamilton, M'Ewin, and Duncan Cameron ; and Lieutenants 
Richardson and Thomas Butler, commanding flank companies of 
the Lincoln and York Militia, led their men into action with great 
spirit. Major Merritt, commanding the Niagara dragoons accom- 
panied me, and gave much assistance, with part of his corps. Cap- 
tain A. Hamilton belonging to it was disabled from riding, and at- 
tached himself to the guns under Captain Holcroft, who speaks 
highly of his activity and usefulness. I beg leave to add that vol- 
unteers Shaw, Thomson, and Jarvis attached to the flank companies 
of the 49th regiment, conducted themselves with great spirit; the 
first having been wounded, and the last having been taken prisoner. 
I beg leave to recommend these young men to your Excellency's no- 
tice. Norton is wounded, but not badly ; he and the Indians parti- 



70 

oularly distinguished themselves, and I have very great satisfaction 
in assuring your Excellency, that the spirit and good conduct of his 
Majesty's troops, of the militia, and of the other provincial corps, 
were eminently conspicuous on this occasion. 

1 have not been able to ascertain yet the number of troops, or of 
those of the enemy engaged ; ours, I believe, did not exceed the 
number of the prisoners we have taken: and their advance, which 
effected a landing, probably amounted to 13 or 1400 men. 

I shall do myself the honor of transmitting to your Excellency 
further details, when I shall have received the several reports of the 
occurrences which did not pass under my own observation, with 
the return of the casualties, and those of the killed and wounded, and 
of the ordnance taken. 

I have the honor to be &c. 

(Signed) E. H. Sheaffe, Maj. Gen. 
To His Excellency Sir George Prevost, Bart &c. 

The American accounts of the action have been so much altered 
from General Van Ransellaer's original despatch, that it is difficult 
to know which is the correct one. At this moment I have two be- 
fore me, one by Captain Fay, of the United States Artillery, the olhei 
by James. There is evidently so much ol the stippressio veri, if 
not of the asscrliojalsi, in the former, evidently to cloak the nation- 
al humiliation, that there can be no hesitation in adopting that given 
by the latter, who seems to have been at some pains to obtain 
the correct despatch. 

From General Van Rensellaer, to the American Secretary of War.' 
Head Quarters, Lewistown, Oct. 14th, 1812. 

Sir, — As the movements of this Army under my command, since 
I had last the honor to address you on the 8th, have been of a very 
important character, producing consequences serious to many indi- 
viduals; establishing facts actually connected with the interest of the 
service and the safety of the army; and as I stand prominently res- 
ponsible for some of these consequences, I beg leave to explain to 
you, sir, and 'hrough you to my country, the situation and circum- 
stances in which I have had to act, and the reasons and motives 
which governed me, and if the result is not all that might have been 
wished, it is such that, when the whole ground shall be viewed, I 
shall cheerfully submit myself to the judgement of my country. 

In my letter of the 8th instant, I apprised you that the crisis in this 
campaign was rapidly advancing; and that (to repeal the same) "the 
blow must be soon struck, or all the toil and expense of the campaign 
will go for nothing, for the whole ,vill be tinged with dishonor." 

Under such impressions, I had, on the 5th instant, written to Brig. 
General Smyth, of the United States lorces, requesting an interview 
with him, Major General Hall, and the commandants of regiments, 
for the purpose of conferring upon the subject of future operations. 
I wrote Major General Hall to the same purport. On the 11th had 
received no answer from General Smyth; but in a note to me of the 
10th, General Hall mentioned that General Smyth had not yet then 
agreed upon any day for the consultation. 



71 

In the mean time, the partial success of Lieutenant Elliott at 
Black Rock (of which however, I have received no official informa- 
tion) began to excite a strong disposition in the troops to act. This 
was expressed to me through various channels, in the shape of an 
alternative; that they must have orders to act, or at all hazards they 
would go home. I forbear here commenting upon the obvious con- 
sequences, to me personally, of longer withholding my orders under 
such circumstances. 

I had a conference with ■ , as to the possibilfy of getting 

some person to pass over into Canada, and obtain correct information. 
On the morning of the 4th, he wrote to me that he had procured 
the man, who bore his letter to go over. Instructions were given 
him: he passed over, arid obtained such information as warranted an 
immediate attack. This was conhdently communicated to several 
of my first officers, and produced great zeal to act; more especially 
as it might have a controlling effect upon the movement at Detroit, 
where it was supposed that General Brock had gone with all the force 
he dared to spare from the Niagara frontier. The best preparations 
m my power, were therefore made to dislodge the enemy from the 
heights of dueenstown, and possess ourselves of the village; where 
the troops might be sheltered from the distressing inclemency of 
the weather. 

Lieutenant Colonel Fleming's flying artillery, and a detachment 
of regular troops under his command, were ordered to be up in sea- 
son from Fort Niagaia. Orders were also sent General Smyth, to 
send down from Buffalo, such detachments of his brigade as existing 
circumstances in that vicinity might warrant. The attack was to 
be made at 3 o'clock on the morning of the 11th, by crossing over 
in boats from the old lerry opposite the heights. To avoid any em- 
barrassment in crossing the river, (which is here a sheet of violent 
eddies,) experienced boatmen were procured, to take the boats, from 
the landing below to the place o( embarkation. Lieutenant Sim was 
considered the man of the greatest skill for this service; he -went 
ahead, and, in the extreme darkness, passed the intended place far 
up the river; and there, in a most extraordinary manner, fastened his 
boat to the shore, and abandoned the detachment. In this front 
boat he had carried nearly all the oars, which were prepared 
for the boats. In this agonizing dilemma stood officers and men, 
whose ardor had not cooled by exposure through the night, to on? ot 
the most tremendous north-east storms, which continued unabated for 
2S hours, and deluged the whole camp. Colonel Van Rensellaer was 
to have commanded the detachment. 

After this result, I had hoped that the patience of the troops, would 
have continued, until I could submit the plan suggested in my letter 
of the 8th, that I might act under, and in conformity to, the opinion 
which might bo then expressed. But my hope was idle; the pre- 
viously excited ardor seemed to have gained new heat from the late 
miscarriage; the brave men were mortified to stop short of their ob- 
ject, and the timid thought laurels half won by the attempt. 

On the morning ot the 12th, such was the pressure upon me from 
all quarters, that I became satisfied that my refusal to act might in- 
volve me in suspicion, and the service in disgrace. 

Lieutenant Colonel Christie, who had just arrived at the four mile 
Creek, and had, late in the night of the 1st, contemplated an attack, 



72 

gallantly offered me his own and his men's services : but he got ray 
permission loo late. He now again came forward 'had a conference 
with Colonel Van Rensellaer and begged that he might have the 
honor of a command in the expedition. The arrangement was made, 
Colonel Van Rensellaer was to command one column of 300 militia; 
and Lieutenant Colonel Christie, a column of the same number of reg- 
ular troops. 

Every precaution was now adopted as to boats, and the most con- 
fidential and experienced men to manage them. At an early hour in 
the night, Lieutenant Colonel Christie marched his detachment by 
the rear road from Niagara to the camp. At 7 in the evening Lieu- 
tenant Colonel Stranahan's regiment moved from Niagara Falls; at 
S o'clock Mead's. and at 9 o'clock Lieutenant Colonel Bland's regiment 
marched from the same place. All were in camp in good season, 
Agreeably to my orders issued upon this occasion, tne two columns 
were to pass over together; as soon as the heights should be cairied. 
Lieutenant Colonel Fenwick's Hying artillery was to pass over; then 
Major Mullany's detachment ol regulars ; and the other troops to fol- 
low in order. 

Colouel Van Rensellaer, with great presence of mind, ordered his 
officers to proceed with rapidity, and storm the fort. This service 
Avas gallantly performed, and the enemy driven down the hill in every 
direction. Soon after this, both parties were considerably reinforced, 
and the conflict was renewed in various place-. Many of the enemy 
took shelter behind a stone guard-house, where a piece of ordnance 
was now briskly served. I ordered the lire of our battery to be direct- 
ed upon the guard-house: and it was so effectually done, lhat with 
eight or ten shot the tire was silenced. The enemy then retreated 
behind a large stone house j but in a short time the route became 
general, and the enemy's tire was silenced, except from a one gun 
battery, so far down the river as to be out of the reach of our heavy 
ordnance ; and our light pieces could not silence it. A number of 
boats now passed over unanncved. except by the one unsilenced gun. 
For some lime after I had passed over, the vieiory appeared complete; 
but in expectation ot further attacks. I was taking measures for for- 
tifying mv camp immediately: the direction of this service I commit- 
ted to Lieutenant Totten, of the engineers. But very soon the ene- 
my weie reinforced, by a detachment of several hundred Indians from 
Chippewav : they commenced a furious attack : but were promptly 
met and routed by the ritle and bayonet. By this time I perceived 
my troops were embarking very slowly. I passed immediately over 
to accelerate their movements : but. to my utter astonishment, I 
found that, at the very moment when complete victory was in our 
hands, the ardor o( the unengaged troops had entirely subsided. 1 
rode in all directions: urged the men by every consideration to pass 
over, but in vain Lieut. Col. Bloom, who had been wounded in action, 
returned, mounted his horse and rode through the camp; as did also 
Judge Peck, who happened to be here, exhorting the companies to 
proceed, but all in vain. 

At this time alai^e reinforcement from Fort George was discover- 
ed coming up the river. As the battery on the hill was considered 
an important check against their ascending the heights, measures 
were immediately taken to send them a fresh supply of ammunition 
« as I learnt there were only left 20 shot fot the 18-pounders. The te- 



73 

Inforcementi, how«m, obliqued to the right from the road and 
formed a junction with the India** in war ot the heights. Findftg, 
o mv infinite mortification, thai no reinforcement would pass over ; 
Beeiris that another severe conflict most soon commence; and know- 
in- that the brave men at the heights were quite eihansted and 
nSrh out of ammunition ; all ieould do, a m« i^esh 

ronnlvofcartridi , i this critical moment I despatched* note 
• t/neral Wads worth acquainting him with our situation: leaving 
the course to be pursded much to his own ju I ; with Assur- 

ance lhaf if he thought best to vein at I would endeavour to r 
as many boras as I < imand, and rover his retreat h. every 

fire I could sal ; • , " <y d ^% 'tSTll?* 

the boatmen had fled f panic struck; and buM Y note 

however, could but Hale more than have reac i ral W .about 

4 o'clock when a most sev*re and obstinate confiiol commenced, and 
continued (oiahout baU an hour.with a tremdndous fire pi cannon. Uy- 
i„.r artillery an try* The enemy succeeded- m lo-possess- 

ini their battery, and gaining advantage on Cvery side ; the brave 
men who had gained the victory being exhausted o strength and, 
ammunition, and grieved at the unpardonable neglect ot their Ullow 
soldiers, pave up the conllict. ,' 

I can only add, that the victory was ready won; bu lost for the 
want of a small reinforcement; one third part of the idle men might 

have saved all. ' . 

I have the honor to be <xc. 

Stephen Van Renssellaer. 

Hon William Eustis, 
.Secretary of \ 

The following is the report of the Officer commanding the de- 
tachment (the present Colonel Wool) which obtained possession of 
the battery, by ascending the concealed fisherman's path, in the early 
part of the day. 

From Captain Wool to Colonel Van Renssellaer. 

i.uffaloe Oct. 23,1812. 

Dear Sir, 

I have the honor to communicate to you the circumstances at- 
tending the storming of Queenstown battery on the 13th instj with 
those which happened previously you are already well acquainted. 

In pursuance of your order, we proceed' •! round the point and as- 
cended the rocks, which brought us pari r of the Mattery We 
took it without much resistance. 1 immediately formed behind it and 
fronting the village, when i ob: erved General brock with his troops 
formedfeonsistibg. of four companies of the 49th regiment, and a 
few militia, marching for ou. left flank. 1 immediately detached a 
party of b r >0 ftien. to take posse: ion of the heights above Uueens- 
towi'i battery and to hold Cental Brock in check; pUt'10 conse- 
quence oi liis • nee they retreated. I sent a reinforcement ; 
npiwithstandjri \ which, the ebemv drove us to the edge of the bank: 
when with the greatest exertions, we brought the troops to a stand, 
and I Oidered the Officers to bring their men to a charge ns soon as 



74 

the ammunition was expended, which was executed with some con- 
fusion, and in a few moments the enemy retreated. We pursued 
them to the edge of the heights, when Colonel M'Donald had his 
horse shot from under him, and was mortally wounded. In the in- 
terim, General Brock, in attempting to rally his forces, was killed, 
when the enemy dispersed in every direction. As soon as it was 
practicable, I formed the troops in a line on the heights fronting the 
village, and immediately detached Hanking parties, which consisted 
of Captain Machesney of the 6th regiment, Lieutenant Smith, and 
Ensign Grosvenor with a small detachment of riflemen, who had 
that moment arrived; at the same time, I ordered Lieutenant 
Ganesvoort and Lieutenant Randolph, with a detachment of artille- 
ry, to drill out an 18-pounder which had been previously spiked, 
and if possible to bring it to bear upon the village. The wounded 
and prisoners I ordered to be collected, and sent to the guard-house. 
About this time, which was about three or four o'clock in the after- 
noon, Lieutenant Col. Christie arrived, and took the command. He 
ordered me across the river to get my wounds dressed. I remained a 
short time. Our flanking parties had been driven in by the Indians 
but General Wadsworth and other Officers arriving, we had a short 
skirmish with them, and they retreated, and I crossed the river. 

The Officers engaged in storming the battery, were Captains 
Wool and Ogilvie; Lieutenants Kearney, Hugouin, Carr, and Sim- 
mons, of the 43rd regiment ; Lieutenant Ganesvoort and Randolph 
of the light artillery, and Major Lush of the militia. 

I recommend to your particular notice Lieuts. Randolph, Carr, and 
Kearney, lor their brave conduct exhibited during the whole of the 
action. 

I have the honor to be, 

Your most obedient humble Servant, 

John E. Wool, Capt. 13th regt. inft. 
Colonel Van Renssellaer. 

Towards the close of the autumn, General Winchester, having 
established himself at that point of the Miami, whither General 
Tupper had, on the occasion of Major Muir's retreat from Fort 
Wayne, been ordered to dislodge us; and thrown up on the right 
bank of the river, a strong fortification to which, in compliment to 
the Governor of the State of Ohio, the name of Fort Meigs had been 
given, a detachment, consislingof about 50 men under the command 
of Major Reynolds of the Essex Militia, with a three pounder, and 
200 Indians Avere sent to Frenchtown on the River Raisin, distant 
eighteen miles from Amherstburg, to watch his movements. Here 
this little party continued unmolested until the afternoon of the 18th 
of January 1813, when Colonel Lewis, who had been detached from 
General Winchester's division, with an advanced guard of nearly 
800 men suddenly fell upon them, and notwithstanding a very gal- 
lant resistance, in the course of which, efficient service was render- 
«d by the three-pounder under Bombardier Kitson of the Royal Ar- 



75 

tillery, aided simply by a few militia acting as gunners, compelled 
them to retire across some intermediate open ground to a wood, dis- 
tant nearly a mile from their original position. Here the enemy were 
kept in check not only by the fire from the three-pounder, but by a 
running fusillade from the militia, and Indians, chiefly of the Potta- 
wattamie tribe. After the conflict had continued at this point up- 
wards of half an hour, Major Reynolds, finding himself closely pres- 
sed by very superior numbers, gave up the contest, the Americans 
suffering him to effect his retreat without further interruption. In 
this little affair the British loss was 1 Militia man and 3 Indians killed. 
That of the enemy was much more severe, they themselves admit- 
ting 12 killed and 55 wounded. Colonel Lewis having established 
himself in the position, sent immediate notice of his success to Ge- 
neral Winchester, who quitting Fort Meigs with the main body of 
his army, pushed forward with all expedition, and effected a junction 
with Colonel Lewis on the 20th. 

The account of the repulse of Major Reynolds having reached 
Amherstburg in the course of the night of the 18th, Colonel Procter, 
with a promptness and decision which it is to be regretted, had not 
marked his subsequent operations, resolved on an instant advance 
upon the captured position, before the enemy could have time to for- 
tify it. Accordingly the whole disposable force of the garrison was 
ordered upon this service, and early on the 19th, leaving a handful 
of men to occupy the fort, he crossed the Detroit river opposite Am- 
herstburg, with a body of 500 troops and militia, 800 Indians under 
the Chief Roundhead, (Tecumseh being absent, collecting reinforce- 
ments) and 3 three-pounders. The different vessels being laid up 
for the season, parts of their crews were ordered to serve with the 
artillery, and the two companies of the Newfoundland Fencibles at- 
tached to the brigade. No sight could be more beautiful than the de- 
parture of this little army from Amherstburg. It was the depth of win- 
ter; and the river at the point we crossed being four miles in breadth, the 
deep rumbling noise of the guns prolonging their reverberations like 
the roar of distant thunder, as they moved along the ice, mingled with 
the wild cries of the Indians, seemed to threaten some convulsion of 
nature; while the appearance of the troops winding along the road, 
now lost behind some cliff of rugged ice, now emerging into view, 
their polished aims glittering in the sunbeams, gave an air of ro- 
mantic grandeur to the scene. 

On the night of the 21st, we halted and bivouacked in the open air, 
about five miles from the enemy's position, with no other protection 



76 

from the cold than our great coats, and the fires which were kindled 
at our feet. Two hours before dawn, and we were again upon the 
advance to the River Raisin, and on the 22d, before day break, came 
within si^htof the enemy, occupying the position lately held by Ma- 
jor Reynolds. Such was their security and negligence that they had 
not thrown. out a single picket, and oui line was actually half formed* 
within musket shot of their defences, before they were aware even 
of our presence. 

The conduct of Colonel Procter on this occasion, has ever been 
a matter of astonishment to me, and on no one principle that I am 
am aware of, can it be satisfactorily accounted for. The Americans 
were lying in their beds undressed and unarmed, and a prompt and 
forward movement of the line, either would have enabled us to have 
taken them with the bayonet at advantage, or to have seized the in- 
termediate close fence, forming a parapet from which they shortly 
afterwards so severely annoyed us. Instead of this, he commenced 
firing his three-pounders in answer to the alarm of the sentinels who, 
at length perceiying us, liar] rapidly discharged their muskets — thus 
affording them time and facility for arming and occupying the only 
position from which they could seriously check our advance. Rest • 
ing their rifles on the breastwork by which they were covered, the 
Americans fought under every advantage, the dark line of troops be- 
fore them serving as a point of direction, which could not fail to be 
perceived along the field of snow by which they were surrounded. 
Much execution was done among the artillery and seamen. Placed 
in front of the line, and singled out by their marksmen, the officers 
and men of those departments were particularly exposed, and many 
of the guns were abandoned from want of hands to work them. The 
fire of the enemy was not less galling to the troops, yet although 
falling at every step, they continued to advance with the utmost re- 
solution and gallantry. The action had continued about an hour, 
when the Ameiican right, being entirely broken by the Militia and 
Indians, a movement was made to occupy the ground they had aban- 
doned, and to take them in flank. This manoeuvre succeding, a corps 
of Americans, to the number of iour hundred, threw themselves into 
the strong block-houses they had already constructed since their ar- 
rival, where they continued to make an obstinate defence. Mean- 
while their right, and part of the centre, closely followed across the 
ice by the Indians, fell almost unresisting victims to the wrath of 
their pursuers: and for nearly two miles along the road by which 



77 

they passed, ths snow waa covered wi(b ths blood and bodies ef iho 
slain. Among the fugitives was General Winchester himself, -why- 
falling info the hands of the Wyandot Chief Roundhead, was con- 
ducted together with his sou — a handsome youth cf sixteen — to 
our rear. 

Here, being informed of the state of the action, he immediately 
wrote an order in pencil to the officer commanding the block-houses 
desiring him to surrender what troops were under him as prisoners 
of war. This being conveyed to Colonel Procter who was then in 
advance with the left wing, which was fast establishing itself on the 
flank of the enemy's position, the lire from our line was discontinued, 
and an officer despatched with a flag and the document in ques- 
tion. The result of this was the suirenderof a considerable body of 
men, who dreading to fall into the hands of the Indians had resolved 
to sell their lives at the dearest possible rate, and who could not, with- 
out gr at difficulty, have been expelled fiom their formidable position. 
In this manner was the whole of the American force annihilated — 
150 men only of those who had been routed early in the day, con- 
triving to effect tneir escape into Fort Meigs, the post so recently es- 
tablished on the banks of the Miami. So complete was the surprise I 
of the enemy, that General Winchester, when brought in, had no 
other covering than the dress in which he slept. 

In this affair which, if properly conducted, would have been attended 
by little loss to the assailants, we had 24 rank and file killed and II 
officers and 15S rank and file wounded, exclusive of sergeants whose 
number is not recorded. Colonel St. George, particularly distinguish- 
ed by his valor and exertions, received five wounds (the despatch 
states four) several of them severe — and had a horse shot under him. 
No officer was killed ; but among the wounded were Ensign Carr of 
the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, who was shot through the lungs, 
and died a few days afterwards, Captain Talion and Lieut. Cleniow 
of the 41st, Lieut. Troughton of the Artillery, and Lieuts. Rolette and 
Irvine of the Navy. The conduct of this la! ter officer, whose gallant- 
ry at the capture of the Caledonia has already been descrihed, was 
marked on this occasion by the same coolness and resolution. In 
a forward movement made upon the enemy in the heat of the action, 
but in which we had been checked by the desperate fire of their rifle- 
men, one of the three-pounders had been abandoned not twenty yards 
from the fence. The Americans eagerly sought to obtain possession 
of this, and leaped the breastwork for the puipose of dragging it im- 
mediately under cover cf their own fire. Their object however, was 



78 

•een and frustrated by the Biitish line, which had not retired many- 
yards before it again halted and renewed the contest, compelling 
the Americans to retire behind their breastwork. Lieutenant Irvine 
saw the peril of the gun and, under cover of a heavy fire which was 
thrown into the enemy at that moment, he advanced, seized the drag 
rope, and bore it off. This daring feat, performed in presence of, and be- 
tween, the two armies, was not without its penalty. Mr. Irvine re- 
ceived a wound immediately in the centre of his heel, the ball en- 
tering and saturating his boot, which was with some difficulty removed,, 
with blood; and from the effect of this he suffered for some time. 
The ball was never found. 

Another individual who deserves honorable mention here was a 
young midshipman, a brother ol the writer of this narrative, and the 
son of a medical officer who had long served in the country. This 
youth, then only fourteen years of age, had ever been anxious to find 
himself engaged in an aflair with the enemy, but noopportnnity hav- 
ing presented itself on the lake, he had resolved to seize the first fa- 
vorable occasion on land. Disobeying the positive order given him 
to remain behind, he joined the division during the bivouack of the 
night preceding the action, and attaching himself to his department, 
was among the number of those singled out by the enemy's marks- 
men. While in the act of applying a match to one of the guns, he 
was struck by a ball, which shattered his right leg and felled him to 
the earth. Doctor Richardson had been called on, in his medical ca- 
pacity to attend the expedition, and was then with the staff in the 
rear. The first care of this gallant and excellent boy was to conceal 
his wound from his father; and he begged those who bore him from 
the field, to convey him to a position remote from that occupied by 
the staff, and to request the surgeon of the 41st to attend him, which 
was accordingly done. After having suffered intensely, but with 
manly and enduring courage, for six months, he was at length ena- 
bled to remove to Quebec, where his conduct being generally known, 
he was taken into favor by the Commander in Chief, who gave him 
the commission of a lieutenant in one of the provincial corps. Sir 
John Harvey, and Sir George Murray, then Colonels in the service, 
and filling the important offices of Adjutant General, and Q,uarter- 
Master-General to the army in Canada, were also forward in afford- 
ing the most flattering testimony of their esteem; and this spirited 
youth had the cheering consolation to know, that although afflicted 
with a wound which eventually cost him his life, the noble ardor de- 
reloped at so early a stage of his existence, was not without its re- 



79 

ward, in the approval of men whose high military rank and character 
invested their individual regard with a ten-fold value. 

The following extract from a letter from the first-named gallant 
Officer, dated November 1839, contains so flattering a reminiscence 
of the devoted boy that it would be an injustice to his memory to 
withhold it. "I am favored with your very interesting communica- 
tion of the 22nd inst. by which I learn that you are the brother of 
two youths, whose gallantry and merits — and with regard to one of 
them, his sufferings — during the late war, excited my warmest ad- 
miration and sympathies; and (continues Sii John, underan erroneous 
impression that his young protege had been subsequently married) I 
will add, that the desire I felt to serve the father will be found to 
extend itself to the son, if your nephew should ever find himself 
under circumstances to require from me any service which it may be 
wiihin my limited power to render him. : ' 

In the same engagement Mr. William Caldwell of Amherstburg, 
who was attached to the Indians, had a very narrow escape. Among 
the number of those ot the enemy who first broke and fled across the 
ice, was an officer who, overtaken by an Indian, and in the act" of 
being tomahawked, was saved by the interposition of this gentleman. 
As he was conducting him toward the principal scene of action, the 
American officer drew his knife, at a moment when Mr. Caldwell 
was off his guard, and springing upon his deliverer, made an incision 
along his throat, nearly lrom ear to ear. The wound fortunately was 
not deep, and Mr. Caldwell, who was an extremely powerful and ac- 
tive person, with great presence of mind, caught the arm which had 
attempted his destruction, and drawing forth a dagger, with which 
he was provided, thrust it repeatedly into the body ot his assailant 
until death had freed him from all further apprehension — Mr. Cald- 
well's wound was soon healed. 

The appearance of the American prisoners captured at French- 
town was miserable to the last degree. They had the air of men 
to whom cleanliness was a virtue unknown, and their squalid bo- 
dies were covered by habiliments that had evidently undergone every 
change of season, and were arrived at the last stage of repair. It 
has already been remarked that it was the depth of winter; but 
scarcely an individual was in possession of a great coat or cloak, 
and few of them wore garments of wool of any description. They 
still retained their summer dress, consisting of cotton stuff of various 
colors, shaped into frocks, and descending to the knee; their trow- 



so 

eers were of the same material. They were covered with slouched 
hats, worn bare by constant use, beneath which their long hair fell 
matted and uncombed over their cheeks; and these together with 
the dirty blankets wrapped around their loins 10 protect them a- 
gamst the inclemency of the season, and fastened by broad leathern 
belts, into which were, thrust axes and knives of an enormous length, 
gave them an air of wildness and savageness, which in Italy would 
have caused them to pass for brigands of the Apennines. The on- 
ly distinction between the garb of the officer and that of the soldier 
was, that the one, in addition to his sword, carried a short rifle in- 
stead of a long one, while a dagger, often curiously worked and of 
some. value, supplied the place of the knife. This description may 
be considered as applicable to the various hordes of irregular troops 
sent forth throughout the war from the States of Ohio and Kentucky. 
The equipment was ever the same, and difteting only inasmuch as 
their opportunities of preserving or renewing it were more or less 
frequent. 

During the short period the American prisoners remained in Am- 
herstburg, I had an opportunity of rendering a slight service to Ge- 
neral Winchester, for which he appeared particularly grateful. This 
was replied, to moreover, by a request that I would accept a very 
handsomely mounted pair of pistols which were with his baggage. 
Tbe Indians however had forestalled me in the possession, and I be- 
lieve the General never recovered a single article even of wearing 
apparel. 

The following is the British Official Report of the battle of the 
River Raisin. Those of General Winchester and of General Harrison 
will be found succeeding it. 

From Colonel Procter to Major General SheafTe, 

Sandwich, January 26th 1813. 
S IR) — i n my last despatch I acquainted you, that the enemy was in 
the Michigan territory, marching upon Detroit, and that I therefore 
deemed it necessary that he should be attacked without delay, with 
all and every description of force within my reach. Early in the 
morning, on the 19th, I was informed of his being in possession of 
Frenchtown, on the Rriver Raisin, 20 miles from Detroit, after ex- 
periencing every resistance that Major Reynold, of the Essex mili- 
tia, had it in his power to make, with a 3-pounder, well served and 
directed by bombardier Kitson of the royal artillery, and the militia, 
three of whom he had well trained to the use of it. The retreat of 
the gun was covered by a I rave band of Indians, who made the 
enemy pay dear for what he obtained. This party, composed of 
militia and Indians, with the gun. fell back, 18 miies to Brown's 



M 

town the settlement of the brave Wyandots, where I directed my 
force to assemble. On the 2]st instant, I advanced 12 miles to 
Swan Creek, from whence we marched to the enemy, and attacked 
him at break of day, on the 2:2nd instant, and after suffering, for our 
numbers, a considerable loss, the enemy's force, posted in houses 
and enclosures, and which, from dread of falling into the hands ot 
the Indians, they most obstinately defended, at length surrendered 
at discretion ; the other part of their force, in attempting to retreat 
by the way they came, were, I believe, all, or with very lew excep- 
tions, killed by the Indians. Brigadier-General Winchester was 
taken in the pursuit by the Wyandot Chief Roundhead, who after 
wards surrendered him to me. 

You will perceive that I have lost no time; indeed, it was neces- 
sary to be prompt in my movements, as the enemy would have been 
joined by major-General Harrison in a few days. The troops, the 
marine, and the militia, displayed great bravery, and behaved un- 
commonly well. Where so much zeal and spirit were manifested 
it would be unjust to attempt to particularize any : I cannot, how- 
ever, refrain from mentioning Lieutenant Colonel Sr. George, who 
received four wounds in a rallant attempt to occupy a building 
which was favorably situated for annoying the enemy ; together 
with Ensign Carr, ot the Newfoundland regiment, who, I fear, is 
very dangerously wounded. The zeal and courage of the Indian 
Department were never more conspicuous than on this occasion, and 
the Indian warriors fought with their usual bravery. I am much 
indebted to the different departments, the troops having been well 
and timely supplied with every tequisite the district could afford. 

I have fortunately not been deprived of the services of Lieutenant 
Troughton, ot the royal artillery, and acting in the Quarter-master- 
generals department, although he was woui.ded, to whose zealous 
and unwearied exertions 1 am greatly indebted, as well as to the 
whole of the royal artillery for their conduct in this affair. 

I enclose a list of the killed and wounded, and cannot but lament 
that there are so many of both ; but of the latter I am happy to say, 
a large proportion of them will return to their duty, and most of 
them in a shott time : I also enclose a return of the arms and am- 
munition which have been taken, as well as of the prisoners, whom 
you will perceive to be equal to my utmost force, exclusive of the 
Indians. 

It is reported that a party, consisting of 100 men, bringing 500 
hogs to general Winchester's force, has been completely cut off by 
the Indians, and the convoy taken. Lieu ten apt M'Lean, my acting 
Brigade-Major, whose gallantry and exertions v.cie conspicuous on 
the 22nd instant, is the bearer of this despatch, and will be able to 
afford you every information respecting our situation. 
I have the honor to be <fcc. 

Henry Procter, Colonel. 

To Major General Shoaffe, &c. ece. &c. 
Fort George. 

Return of prisoners taken after the action at Riviere au Raisin, 
on the 22nd day of January, 1813. 

1 Brigadier-general"; 1 colonel; 1 major; 9 captains; ft lieu- 



55 

tenants ; 10 ensigns ; 1 brigade-major ; 1 ndjulant ; 1 quarter- 
master; 2 surgeons; 27 sergeants; 435 rank and file. — total. 495. 

N. B. The Indians have brought in and delivered up several 
prisoners since the above return was taken; t hey continue to do so 
this morning, so that this return is not perfectly correct, nor can a 
correct one be procured until they arrive at Sandwich. 
Felix Troughton, R. A. 

Act. Dep. Assist. Q.uarler-Master-Gen. 

Return of the killed and wounded in the action at Rivieie au Rai- 
sin, 22nd January, JS13. 

Royal artillery ;— 1 sergeant, 1 gunner, killed; 1 lieutenant, 1 
corporal, 1 bombardier; 6 gunners , wounded. 

lOih Royat Veteran battalion ;— 2 privates, wounded. 

41st Foot; — 15 privates, killed ; 1 captain, 1 lieutenant, 1 corpo- 
ral 91 privates, wounded. 

Royal Newfoundland regiment; — 1 private killed; 1 ensign, 1 
sergeant, 3 corporals, 13 privates, wounded. 

Marine department; — 1 seaman, killed ; 2 lieutenants, 1 midship- 
man. 1 gunner, 12 seamen, wounded. 

1st Essex militia; — 2 privates, killed; 1 captain, 2 lieutenants, 2 
sergeants, 7 privates, wounded. 

2nd Essex militia ;— 3 privates, killed ; ] ensign, 3' privates, 
wounded. 

Star!; — 1 lieutenant-colonel, wounded. 

Total; — 1 sergeant, 1 gunner, 21 privates, 1 seaman, killed; 
1 lieutenant-colonel, 2 captains, L5 lieutenants, 2 ensigns, 1 mid- 
shipman, 6 sergeants 5 ccrporals, 1 bombardier, 6 gunners, 116 pri- 
vates, 12 seampn. wounded. 

General total ;— 24 killed ; 153 wounded. 

Names of the Officers wounded. 

Royal Artillery; — Lieutenant 'i'roighton. 

41st foot; — Captain Tallon and Lieutenant Clemow. 

Royal Newfoundland regiment ; — Ensign Carr. 

Marine department ;— Lieutenants RoLue, and Irvine, and Mid- 
shipman Richardson. 

1st Essex Militia ;— -Captain Mills, and Lieutenants M'Coimic and 
Gordon. 

2nd ditto; — Claude Garvin. 

Staff ;— Colonel St. George. 

Felix Troughton Lt. R. A. 

Act dep. Asst Quarter-master gen. 

From Brigadier-general Winchester to the American Secretary 

of War. 

Maiden, January 2Sth 1813. 
Sib,— A detachment of the left wing of the North-Western Army 
under my command, at Frenchtown, on the river Raisin, was attack- 
ed on the 23rd instant, by a force greatly superior in numbers, aid- 
ed by several pieces of artillery. The action commenced at the 
dawn oi day : the picquet guards were driven in, and a heavy fire 
opened upon the whole line, by which part thereof was thrown into 
disorder ; and being ordered lo form on more advantageous ground, 
I found the taemy doubling our left flank with fore? and rapidity. 



63 

A destructire fire was sustained for some time ; at length borne 
down by numbers, the few of us that remained with the party reti- 
red from the lines, and submitted. The remainder of our force, in 
number about 400, continued to defend themselves with great gal- 
lantry, in an unequal contest against small arms and artillery, un- 
til I was brought in as a prisoner to that part of the field occupied 
by the enemy. 

At this latter place, I understood that our troops were defending 
themselves in a state of desperation ; and I was informed by the 
commanding officer of the enemy, that he would afford them an 
opportunity of surrendering themselves prisoners of war ; to which I 
acceded. I was the more ready to make the surrender from being 
assured, that unless done quickly, the buildings adjacent would 
be immediately set on fire, and that no responsibility would be taken 
tor the conduct of the savages, who were then assembled in great 
numbers. 

In this critical situation, being desirous to preserve the lives of a 
number of our brave fellows who still held out, I sent a flag to them, 
and agreed with the commanding officer of the enemy, that they 
should be surrenderee prisoners of war, on condition of their being 
protected from the savages, and being allowed lo retain their private 
property, and havina their side-arms returned to them. It is impos- 
sible for me to a -certain ; with certainty, the loss we have sustain- 
ed in this action, from the impractabiiity of knowing the number 
who have made their escape. 

Thirty five officers, and about 487 non-commiseioned officers, and 

Krivates, are prisoners of war. A list of the names of officers is 
erewith enclosed to you. Our loss in killed is considerable. 
However unfortunate may seem the affair of yesterday, I am 
flattered by the belief, that no material error is chargeable upon my- 
self,and that still less censure is deserved by the troops I had the lion • 
or of commanding. 

With the exception of that portion of our force which was thrown 
into disorder, no troops have ever behaved with more determined 
intrepidity. 

I have the honor to be, with high respect, 
Your obedient Servant, 
James Winchester, 

Brig.-gen. U. S. Aimy. 
Hon. Secretary at War. 

N. B. The Indians have still a few prisoners in their possession* 
which I have reason to hope will be given up to Colonel Procter, at 
Sandwich. 

James Winchester, brig-gen. 

From Major-General Harrison, to Governor Shelby. 

Camp on Carrying Rock, 15 miles from 
the Rapids, January 24th, IS 13. 
My dear Sir, 

I send Colonel Wells to yon, to communicate the particulars (as 
far as we are acquainted with them) of an event that will overwhelm 
your mind tHtlh grief, and fill your whole state with mourniog. 



84 

The srreater part of Colonel Wells's regiment, United States In- 
fantry, and the 1st and 5th regiments Kentucky Infantry, and Allen's 
ride regiment, under the immediate orders or' General Winchester 
have been cut to pieces by the enemy, or taken prisoners. Great as 
the calamity is, I still hope that, as far as it relates to the objects ot 
the campaign, it is not irreparable. As soon as 1 was informed of 
the attack upon General Winchester, about 12 o'clock on the '22nd 
instant, I set out, to overtake the detachment of Kentucky's troops. 
that I had sent that morning to reinforce him, and I directed the only 
regiment that I had with me to follow. I overtook Major Robb's de- 
tachment at the distance of 6 miles; but b fore the troops in the rear 
could get up, certain information was received of General Winches- 
ter's total defeat. 

A council ot war was called, and it was the unanimous opinion of 
the Generals Payne and Perkins, and all the field officers, that there 
was no motive that could authorize an advance but that of attacking 
the enemy and that success was not to be expected after a forced 
march of 40 miles against an enemy superior in number, and well pro- 
vided with artillerv. Strong detachments of the most active men 
were, however, sent forward on all the roads, to assist and bring in 
such of our men as had escaped. The whole number that reached 
our camp docs not exceed 30, amongst whom were Major M'Clan- 
nahan and Captain Claves. 

Having a large train of heavy artillery, and stores coming on this 
road from W. Sandusky under an escort of four companies, it was 
thought advisable to fall back to this place, for the purpose of securing 
them. A part of it arrived last evening, and the rest is within 30 
miles. As soon a*s it arrives, and a reinforcement of three regiments 
from the Virginia and Pennsylvania brigades, I shall again advance, 
and give the enemy an opportunity of measuring their strength with 
us once more. 

Colonel Wells will communicate some circumstances, which while 
they afflict and surprise, will convince you that Kentucky has lost 
none of her reputation for valor, for which she is famed. The de- 
tachment to the River Raisin was made without my knowledge or 
consent, and in direct opposition to my plans. Having been made, 
however, I did every thing in my power to reinforce them, and a 
force exceeding by 300 mvn that which General Winchester deem- 
ed necessary, was on its way to join him, and a fine battalion with- 
in 14 miles of its destination. 

After the success of Colonel Lewis, I was in great hopes Shat 
the post could be maintained. Colonel Wells will communicate 
my future views to you, much better than I can do in writing at 
this time. 

I am, dear Sir, &,e. 

W. H. Harrison, 
His Excellency Governor Shelby. 

Far from being discouraged by the discomfiture of their armies un> 
der Generals Hull and Winchester,the Americans despatched a third 
and more formidable, under one ot their most experienced command- 
ers. General Harrison, who, reaching Fort Meigs shortly subsequent 



b5 

to the a/fair at Frenehtown. directed his attention to the construction 
of works which rendered his position in some measure impregnate. 
Determined if possible to thwart the views of the enemy, and give 
a finishing stroke 10 his movements in that quarter. General Procter 
(lately promoted) ordered an expedition to be in readiness to move 
for the Miami. Accordingly, towards the close of April, a detach- 
ment of the 41st, some militia, and 1500 Indians, accompanied by a 
train of battering artillery, and attended by two gun-boats, proceed- 
ed up that river, and established themselves on the lelt bank, at the 
distance of a mile from the site selected for our batteries* The sea- 
son was unusually wet, yet, in defiance of every obstacle, they were 
erected the same night in front of the American fortress, and the 
guns transported along a road in which the a.\le- trees of the carriage* 
were frequently buried in mud. Among other battering pieces. were 
two 24-pounders — splendid guns which we had captured at Detroit — 
in the transportation of which 200 men, with several oxen, were em- 
ployed f. ./clock at night until daybreak in the morning. At 
length ever) preparation having been made, a shot from one of the 
gun-boats was the signal for their opemng,and early on the morning 
of the 1st of May, a heavy fire was commenced, and continued for 
four days without intermission, during which period every one of the 
enemy's batteries, within our range, was silenced and dismantled. 
The fire of the 24-pound er battery was principally directed against 
the powder magazine, which the besieged «vere busily occupied in 
covering and protecting from our hot shot. It was impossible to hare 
artillery better served ; every ball that was fired sank into the roof 
of the magazine, scattering the earth to a considerable distance, and 
burying many of the workmen in its bed, from whence we could dis- 
tinctly perceive the survivors dragging forth the bodies of their slaugh- 
tered comrades. The officers, whom duty or curiosity drew to the 
ground, often pointed the guns-a favor on the part of the artillerymen, 
which was generally repaid by a glass of rum or whiskey, both which 
liquors were extremely scarce with us, and were prized accordingly. 
Meanwhile the flank companies of the 41 st, with a few Indians, had 
been detached to the opposite shore, within a lew hundred yards of 
the enemy's works, and had constructed a battery, from which a gal- 
ling cross-fire was maintained. Dismayed at the success of our 
operations, General Harrison, already apprised before our arrival of 
the approach of a reinforcement of 1500 men, then descending the 
Miami under General Clay, contrived to despatch a courier on the 



88 

♦renfng of the 4th, with an order for that officer to land immediate- 
ly, and possess himself of our batteries on the left bank, while he 
General Harrison) sallied forth ta carry (hose on the right. Ac* 
cordingly, at eight o'clock on the morning of the 5th, General Clay 
pushed forward the whole of his force, and meeting with no opposi- 
tion at the battcrips, which were entirely unsupported, proceeded to 
spike the guns in conformity with his instructions; but elated with 
his success, and disobeying the positive order of his chief, which was 
to retire the instant his object was effected. he continued tooccupy the 
position. In the mean time the flying attilierymen had given the 
alarm, and three companies of '.he 41st, several of militia, and a body 
of Indians, the latter under Tecamseh, were ordered to move on the 
instant, and repossess themselves of the works. The rain, which had 
commenced early in the morning, continued to fall with violence, 
and the road, as has already been described, was knee-deep with mud, 
yet the men advanced to the assault with the utmost alacrity and 
determination. The main body of our small detachment, under Major 
Muir, advanced against the American left and centre which had de- 
ployed into the woods, while Major Chambers, an officer whose gal- 
lantry in the field was ever rermrkable, boldly attacked their right 
then occupying the principal battery. On approaching the position 
he threw away his sword, and seizing the accoutrements and musket 
of a soldier of his own company who had been shot dead a moment 
before, called out in a voice and manner which was characteristic of 
the man, and which rather denoted indignation that the enemy should 
have had the presumption to carry the position than any thing else, 
' : Who'll follow me and retake that battery." I was immediately be- 
hind him at the time, and as enthusiastically replied (excited no 
doubt by the example before me) that I would. Lieutenant Bullock, 
who had been wounded over the left eye a day or two befoie, on the 
opposite side of the river, yet who, when apprized of the capture of 
the batteries, had left his tent for the purpose of aiding in their re- 
covery, together with Lieutenant Clements (of the 41st also) were a 
few paces in the rear, and these officers, followed by not more than a 
dozen men who happened to be near at the time, pressed eagerly for- 
ward in compliance with the invitation of our dashing leader. It is 
a matter of perfect surprise to me, even at this huur, that our little 
force, which 1 have rather overrated, had not been annihilated to a 
man; for the Americans were in strength, and of course perfectly 
nnder shelter, and the easy eonqao t we obtained (for they fled a* 



87 

we drew near to the battery) can only be attributed to the ftiet that 
their centre and left were being sorely pressed by the detachment 
under Major Muir,and the Indians under Tecumseh. In an account 
of this action, recently published by Captain Le Ereton, residing near 
Bytown, and then a Lieut, in the Newfoundland Regiment that 
officer slates himself to have been one of those who entered the bat- 
tery with Major Chambers. Of course this is the fact, although my 
recollection does not embrace any other officers than those I have nam- 
ed, as being present on the occasion. 

Driven from the batteries, the enemy .in vain sought for safety in 
the woods. The murderous fire of the Indians, which had already 
dispersed their main body, drove them back upon their pursuers.until 
in the end there was no possibility of escape, and their army wa« 
wholly destroyed. A vast number were killed, and independently of 
the prisoners taken by the Indians, 450, with their second in command 
fell into our hands. A somewhat cuiious and characteristic anec- 
dote may be related of a soldier (an Irishman) of the 41st,who being 
in a position in the woods, isolated from his own party, contrived to 
disarm and make prisoners of three Americans who were opposed to 
him. On joining his company towards the close of the affair, preced- 
ed by his prizes, and sweating beneath the weight ofarms,he declared 
wi;h great naivete and indifference that he had with great difficulty 
surrounded, and made them his prisoners. 

Of the whole of the division under General Clay, net more than 
150 men effected their escape, and among the fugitives was that of- 
ficer himself. The sortie made, by order of General Harrison, on the 
right bank of the river had a different result. The detachment sup- 
porting the battery already described, were driven from their position, 
and two officers (Lieutenants Macintyre and Hailes,) and thirty men, 
were made prisoners. Meanwhile it having been discovered that the 
guns on the left bank, owing to some error on the part of the enemy 
had been spiked with ihe ramrods of their muskets, instead of the 
usual instruments, they were speedily rendered serviceable, and the 
fire from the batteries was renewed. At this moment a white flag 
was observed waving on the ramparts of the fort, and the courage 
and perseverance of the troops appeared at length as if about to be 
crowned by 'he surrender of a fortress, the siese of which had cost 
them so much trouble and privation. Such, however, was far from being 
the intention of General Harrison. Availing himself of the cessation 
of hostilities which necessarily ensued, he caused the officer* acd 



SB 

men just captured to be sent across the river for the purpose of being 
exchanged; but this was only a feint for the accomplishment of a 
more important object. Drawing up his whole force,both of cavalry and 
infantry, on the plain beneath the fortress, he caused such of the boats 
.of General Clay's division as were laden with ammunition, of which 
the garrison stood much in need, to be dropped under the works, and 
the stores to be immediately disembarked. All this took place during 
the period occupied in the exchange of prisoners. The remaining 
boats, containing the baggage and private stores of the division, fell 
into the hands of the Indians, still engaged in the pursuit of the fugi- 
tires, and the plunder they acquired was immense. General Harri- 
son having secured his stores, and received the officers and men ex- 
changed for his captives, withdrew into the garrison, and the bom- 
bardment was recommenced. 

The victory obtained at the Miami was such as to reflect credit on 
every branch of the service; but the satisfaction arising from the con- 
viction was deeply embittered by an act of cruelty, which, as the 
writer of an impartial memoir, it becomes my painful duly to record. 
In the heat of the action a strong corps of the enemy, who had thrown 
down their arms, and surrendered themselves prisoners of war were 
immediately despatched, under an escort of fifty men, for the purpose 
of being embarked in the gun-boats, where it was presumed they 
would be safe from, the attacks of the Indians. This measure, how- 
ever, although dictated by the purest humanity, and apparently offer- 
ing the most probable means of security, proved one of fatal import 
to several of the prisoners. On gaining our encampment, then en- 
tirely deserted by the troops, they were assailed by a few cowardly 
»nd treacherous Indians, who had bo.ne no share in the action yet 
who now, guided by the savage instinct of their nature, forced the 
British guard, and, selecting their victims, commenced the work of 
blood. In vain did the harrassed and indignant escort attempt to save 
them from the fury of their destroyers ; the phrenzy of these wretch- 
es knew no bounds, and an old and excellent soldier of the name of 
Russell, of the 41st, was shot through the heart while endeavoring 
to wrest a vict.m from the grasp of his assailant. Forty of these unt 
happy men had already fallen beneath the steel of the infuriated party 
when Tecumseh, apprised of what was doing, rode up at full speed' 
«nd raising his tomahawk, threatened to destroy the first man who 
resisted his injunction to desist. Even on those iawle ;s people to 
whom the language of coercion had hitherto been unknown ',h. 



S9 

threats and tone of the exasperated chieftain produced an instanta- 
neous effect, and they retired at once humiliated and confounded. 
Never did Tecumseh shine more truly himself than on this occasion; 
and nought of the savage could be distinguished save the color and 
the garb. Ever merciful and magnanimous as he was ardent and 
courageous, the voice of the suppliant seldom reached him in vain; 
and although war was his idol, the element in which he lived, his 
heart was formed to glow with all the nobler and more generous im- 
pulses of the warrior; nor was his high character less esteemed by 
ourselves than reverenced by the various tribes over which, in his 
quality of brother to the Prophet, he invariably presided. In any 
other country, and governing any otber men, Tecumseh would have 
been a hero; at lhe head of this uncivilized and untraceable people 
he was a savage ; but a savage such as Civilization herself might not 
blush to acknowledge for her child. Constantly opposed to the en- 
croachments of the Americans for a series of years previous to their 
rupture with England, he had combated their armies on the banks of 
the Wabash with success, and given their leaders proofs of a skill 
and judgment in defence of his native soil, which would not have 
disgraced the earlier stages of military science in Europe. General 
Harrison himself, a commander with whom he had often disputed 
the palm of victory, with the generous candor of the soldier, subse- 
quently ascribed to him virtues as a man, and abilities as a warrior, 
commanding at once the attention and admiratron of his enemies. 

The survivors of this melancholy catastrophe were immediately 
conveyed on bpard the gun boats moored in the river; and every pre- 
caution having been taken to prevent a renewal of the scene, the es- 
corting party proceeded to the interment of the victims, to whom the 
rites of sepulture were afforded even before those of our own men 
■who had fallen in the action. Colonel Dudley, second in command 
of General Clay's division, was among the number of the slain. 

In alluding to the painful occurrence above detailed.James states that 
"Tecumseb buried his tomahawk in the head of a Chippeway Chief 
whom he found activelv engaged in massacreing some of Colonel 
Dudley's men." He furthermore shows, that Lolonel Dudley fell in 
an ambuscade prepared by a body of Indians, stationed in the woods. 
Neither of these statements are correct — Colonel Dudley was taken 
prisoner, and subsequently massacred in the manner just detailed, 
while Tecumseh was spared the necessity of inflicting the punish- 
ment attributed to him by an instant compliance with his will, on 
thp part of lhe insubordinate and guilty, but excited Indians. 



se 

in bright relief lu this piecs of treachery and atrocity en the pail 
of the Chippeways, (well known to be the most degenerate of the Indi- 
an race) let me hasten to record the noble conduct of a warrior of a -ve- 
ry different tribe. 

Metoss, the head chief of the Sacs, was a tall handsome man 
about six feet in height, and with features (as is peculiar indeed with 
the whole of this nation) essentially classic and Roman. When, 
dressed, or rather undressed for battle, his body and limbs fantasti- 
cally painted, and his head ornamented with a handsome circlet of 
feathers, his tall and commanding figure presented the very beau 
ideal of an Indian warrior. He was a resolute man, and although by 
no means gifted with the eloquence or intellect of Tecumseh, was a 
sagacious and active leader — firm in his attachment to British inter- 
ests, and a most determined foe of the Americans, for whom he had 
conceived a hatred almost as powerful as that which actuated the 
noble being who has just been named. The injuries inflicted upon 
his red brethren rankled at his heart, and appeared to be ever present 
to his recollection. Still he could forgive an individual wrong, even 
when perpetrated by those whom he had so much reason to abhor — 
in proof of which, and to redeem the grossly maligned Indian charac- 
ter, the following touching circumstance may be related. 

During the early part of the siege, Metoss with his warriors fre- 
quently passed over from the left to the right bank of the river, (where 
the 41st. flank companies were stationed, in support of the small 
battery which had been constructed there) with a view of picking 
off such of the enemy as showed themselves above or without the 
ramparts of the fort. In these excursions the Sacs were generally 
successful, and the enemy seldom went to the river for water,for them- 
selves or horses, without a shot from a lurking Indian. Metoss him- 
self killed several in this way. One he contrived to make his pri- 
soner, whom he kept in his wigwam, well secured. On the day follow- 
ing this capture, a favorite son of thechief-a fine lad of about thirteen— 
insisted on accompanying his father, notwithstanding all entreaty to 
the contrary. By this time the enemy had become so annoyed by 
the temerity of the Indians who, under cover of the night, used to 
creep close under the foit, that upon the appearance of any of them 
on the skirt of the surrounding forest, a shower of grape was instant- 
ly poured forth. Unhappily, on this occasion, the American telescopes 
discovered Metoss and his son in ambuscade, when a diseharg a «f 
grape followed, and the poor boy was struck dead, dreadfully mangled 



01 

in his bowels. Almost frantic with grief, the chief raised up the dead 
body ; conveyed it to his canoe, and recrossing the river, hastened to 
his wigwam, with the stern determination of sacrificing his prisoner 
to the manes of the deceased. Fortunately Mr. Robert Dickson, 
who had brought the Sacs with him from the Mississippi, and whoso 
influence over the Indians has already been shown to have been great, 
heard of the circumstance in time to intercept Metoss on his way to 
hi3 wigwam, and to entreat that he would not destroy his prisoner, 
assuring him, at the same time, that if he did so, instead of surrender- 
ing him to himself as he proposed he should, His Great Father, the 
King, would hear of his refusal with unfeigned sorrow. Metoss, 
who had torn of? the gay head dress with which he ever vent into 
battle, at length yielded; and going to his wigwam,whither his son's 
body had already been conveyed, he went up to the American, and 
severing with his kniie the thongs by which he was fastened, took 
him by the hand, and led him to Mr. Dickson, saying in a mournful 
voice "you tell me that my Great Father wishes it — take him;" and 
this noble hearted Indian, no longer able to suppress the feelings of 
his bereaved heart, wept like a child. The gaudy colors with which 
he was painted were soon replaced with black, and many month?, 
passed away before he was again seen to smile. 

The body of the young Indian was buried the next day, and, out 
of respect to the father, with all military honors. The funeral par- 
ty, which was commanded by Lieut. Bullock, proceeded to the wig- 
wam of Metoss, where the body of the young Chief was laid out—* 
his little rifle, with some powder and ball, and a supply of provisions, 
according to Indian usage, being placed at his side. About a dozen 
of the Sac tribe, all painted black, were dancing what seemed to be 
a solemn war-dance around the body, when suddenly Metoss rushed 
frantically into the midst of the group, and exhibited every painful 
evidence of the most violent and ungovernable grief. With difficul- 
ty he was removed from the body of his child, when the corpse 
was taken up, and the party proceeded towards the grave which 
had been dug in the midst of our encampment, on the lett bank of 
the Miami. The black painted Indians slowly followed, and after 
the British party had fired the customary three rounds, they dis- 
charged their rifles several times as fast as they could load. The 
fierce wild air of the warriors, whose countenances evinced the' 
strong desire they entertained of avenging the untimely death of 
the fallen youth, the originality of their costume, markedly con* 



$2 

trasting as it did with that uf the officers and soldiers present at the 
ceremony, and the sombre silence which prevailed, heightened in 
effect by the deep gloom of the forest in which they were assem- 
bled, composed a wild and romantic -picture, in which melancholy 
grandeur shone principally conspicuous. 

When the expedition subsequently returned to Arnherstburg, Me- 
toss, who had embarked in General Procter's boat, was frequently ob- 
served to be in tears. He later conceived a strong attachment for 
Lieut. Bullock, principally by reason of that Officer having com- 
manded the funeral party of his son. He made him a Chief ot his tribe, 
and requested, as a great favor, that he would assent to an exchange 
of names. This was of course cheerfully complied with, for it was 
impossible not to esteem and like the untutored warrior who had so 
nobly, ar^l in so affecting a manner, departed from the fierce Indian 
taw which, not only authorizes, but enjoins the sacrifice ol life for life. 
On the evening of the second day after this event, I accompanied 
Major Muir of the 41st, in a ramble throughout the encampment of 
the Indians, distant a few hundred yards from our own. The spec- 
tacle there offered to our view was at once ot the most ludicrous 
and revolting nature. In various directions were lying the trunks 
and boxes taken in the boats of Gen. Clay's division, and the plun- 
derers were busily occupied in displaying their riches, carefully ex- 
amining each article, and attempting to divine its use. Several 
were decked out in the uniforms of the officers; and although em- 
barrassed to the last degree in their movements, and dragging with 
difficulty the heavy military boots with which their legs were for 
the first time covered, strutted forth much to the admiration of their 
less fortunate comrades. Some were habited in plain clothes ; oth- 
ers had their bodies clad in clean white shirts, contrasting in no or- 
dinary manner with the swarthiness of their skins; all wore some 
article of decoration, and their tents were ornamented with saddles, 
bridles, rifles, daggers, swords, and pistols, many of which were 
handsomely mounted and of curious workmanship. Such was the ridi- 
culous part of the picture; but mingled with these, and in various 
directions, were to be seen the scalps of the slain drying in the sun> 
stained on the fleshy side with vermilion dyes, and dangling in air, 
as they hung suspended from the poles to which they were attached; 
together with hoops of various sizes, on which were stretched por- 
tions of human skin taken from various parts of the body, principally 
the hand and foot, and yet covered with the nails of those parts; 
while, scattered along the ground, were visible the members from 



S3 

which they had been separated, and serving as nutriment to the 
wolf-dogs by which the Indians were accompanied. 

Since the action of the 5th, the enemy continued to keep themselves 
shut up within their works, and the bombardment, although followed 
up with vigor, had effected r.o practicable breach. From the report 
made by the officers captured during the sortie from the fort, it ap- 
peared that, with a toil and perseverance peculiar to themselves, the 
Americans had constructed subterranean passages to protect them 
from the annoyance of our shells, which sinking into beds of clay, 
softened by the incessant rains that had fallen, instead of exploding, 
were immediately extinguished. Impatient of longei privation, and 
anxious to return to their families and occupations, the militia gradu- 
ally withdrew themselves in small bodies,while the Indians, enriched 
by plunder, and languishing under the tediousness of a mode of war- 
fare so different from their own, with less ceremony and caution, 
left us to prosecute the siege alone. Tecumseh at the head of his 
own tribe (the Shawanees) and a few others, in all not exceeding 
four hundred warriors, continued to remain. The troops also were 
worn down by constant fatigue, for here as in every other expedition 
undertaken against the enemy, few even of the officers had tents to 
shield them from the weather. A few slips of bark torn from the 
surrounding trees, and covering the skeleton of a hut, was their only 
habitation, and they were merely separated from the damp earth by 
a few scattered leaves over which was generally spread a great coat 
or blanket by the men, and a cloak by the officers. Hence frequent- 
ly arose dysentery, ague, and the variou? other ills to which an army, 
encamped in a wet and unhealthy position is invariably subject; and 
fortunate was he who possessed the skin of the bear or the buffalo, 
whereon to repose his wearied limbs, after many consecutive hours 
of toil and privation which those only, who have acquired practical 
experience in the wild warfare peculiar to the country at that period, 
can fully understand. 

Such was the position of the contending armies towards the mid- 
dle of May, when General Piocter (very naturally) despairing to 
effect the reduction of Foit Meigs, caused preparations to be made for 
raising the siege. Accordingly the gun-boats ascended the river, and 
anchored as near to the batteries as the lowness of the water would 
permit. Here the battering ordnance was embarked under a feeble 
fire from the enemy, and the whole having been secured, the expedi- 
tion returned to Amherslburg, the Americans remaining tranquil 
spectators of our departure, nor offering further molestation. 



04 

It is a circumstance perhaps not unworthy of remark hero that 
m 1840, after a lapse of twenty-seven years (during three and 
twenty of which I had been absent from the country,) I alone oi the 
lorce engaged at the siege of Fort Meigs, should have met with Ge- 
neral Harrison on the very spot which he so vigorously defended 
against us in 1813; and, yet more remarkable, that the occasion of 
such meeting should have been the commemoration of the events of 
that important period. It was during the great delegation, or con- 
vention, which preceded the gallant old General's elevation to the 
Presidential chair, and when mtioduced to him, by the Governor of 
Michigan, as one who had borne arms against him during that siege, 
and had later become his prisoner, I was received in that spirit of 
true and generous courtesy which is ever characteristic of the sol- 
dier. It is but an act of justice to the memory of General Harri- 
son to record here that, although the great object of the meeting — at 
which were present from fifty to sixty thousand persons-deputed from 
almost eveiy state in the Union — was to honor him by celebrating 
his asserted triumph over the British arms, there was, in his address 
to the hushed multitude, when referring to his past services, less of 
allusion to those of the war of 1812 ; than to those of the revolution. 
The following is General Procters official account of the action. 

Upper Canada, Sandwich, May 14th, 1813. 

Sir, — From the circumstances of the war. I have judged it expe- 
dient to make a direct report to your Excellency of the operations and 
present state in this district. 

In the expectation of being able to reach the enemv, who had taken 
post near (he loot of the Rapids of the Miami, before the reinforce- 
ment and supplies could arrive, for which he only waited to com- 
mence active operations against us, I determined to attack him with- 
out delay, and with every means in my power; but from the neces- 
sary preparations and some untoward circumstances, it was not in 
my power to reach him within three weeks of the period I had pro- 
posed, and at which he might have been captured or destroyed. 

From the incessant and heavy rains we experienced, and during 
which our batteries were constructed, it was not until the morning of 
the 1st. inst., the fifih day after our arrival at the mouth of the river, 
twelve miles from the enemy, that our latteries could be opened. 

The enemy who occupied several acres of commanding ground, 
strongly dt fended by block-houses, and the batleries well furnished 
with ordnance, had, during our approach, so completely entrenched 
and covered himself, as to render unavailing everv effort of our artil- 
'ery, thoush well served, and in batteries most judiciously placed and 
constructed, under the able direction of Captain Dixon, of the Royal 
Engineers, of whose ability and unwearied zeal, shewn particularly 
on this occasion, I cannot speak too highly. 

Though the attack ha? not answered fully the purpose intended, I 



15 

ba^e the satisfaction to inform your Excellency of the fortunate re- 
sult of an attack ol the enemy, aided by a sally of most of their gar- 
rison, made on the morning oi" the 5th inst., by a reinforcement which 
descended the river a considerable distance in a very short time; 
consisting of two corps, Dudley s & Rosswell's, amounting to 1300 
men, under the command of Brigadier General Green Clay. The 
attack was veiy sudden, on both sides oi the river. The enc-my were 
for a few minutes in possession of our Batteries, and took some pri- 
soners. After a severe contest, though not of long continuance, the 
enemy gave way, and except the body of those who sallied from the 
fort, must have been mostly killed or taken. 

In this decisive affair, the officers and men of the 41st Regt.. who 
charged and routed the enemy near the batteiies, well maintained 
the long established reputation oi the corps. Where all deserve 
praise, it is difficult to distinguish. Captain Muir, an old officer, 
who has seen much service, had the good fortune to be in the imme- 
diate command ol these brave men. Besides my obligations to Cap- 
tain Chambers, for his unwearied exertions preparatory to, and on 
the expedition, as Deputy Assistant Gluarter Master General, I have 
to notice his gallant conduct in attacking the enemy near the batte- 
ries at the point of the bayonet; a service in which he was well sup- 
ported by Lieuts. Bullock and Clements of the 4 1st. Regt., and Lieut. 
Le Breton of the Royal Newfoundland Regt. The courage and ac- 
tivity displayed through the whole scene of action by the Indian 
Chiefs and Warriors contributed largely to our success. I have not 
been able to ascertain the amount of the prisoners in possession of 
the Indians. I have sent oif agreeable to agreement, near 500 pri- 
soners to the river Huron, near Sandusky. 

I have proposed an exchange, which is referred to the American 
Government. 

I could not ascertain the amount ol the enemy's loss in killed, from 
the extent of the scene of action, and mostly in the woods. I con- 
ceive his loss in killed and wounded to have been between 1,000 
and 1,200 men. 

These unfortunate people were not volunteers and complete Ken- 
tucky's quota. If the enemy had been permitted to receive his rein- 
forcements and supplies undisturbed, 1 should have had at this critical 
juncture to contend with him for Detroit, or perhaps on this shore. 

I had not the option of retaining my position on the Miami. Half 
of the militia had left us. I received a deputation from the Chiefs, 
counselling me to return, as they coulJ not prevent their people, as 
was their custom after any battle of consequence, returning to their 
villages with their wounded, their prisoners, and plunder, of which 
they had taken a considerable quantity in the boats of the enemy. 

Before the ordnance could be withdrawn from the batteries, 1 was 
left with Tecumseh, and less than twenty chiefs and warriors, (?) 
a circumstance which strongly proves that, under present circumstan- 
ces at least, our Indian force is not a disposable one, or permanent, 
though occasionally a most powerful aid. I have, however, brought 
off all the ordnance ; and indeed, have not left any thing behind ; part 
of the ordnance was embarked under the fire cf the enemy. 

The service on which we were employed has been, though short, 
a Tery severe one ; and too much praise cannot be given to both offi- 
cers and men, for the cheerfulness with which, on every occasioa, they 



met the service. To Lieut. Colonel Warburton I feel many obliga- 
tions, for the aid he zealously afforded me on every occasion. From 
my Brigade Major, Lieut. McLean, I received the same zealous as- 
sistance as on former occasions. To Captain Mockler, Royal New- 
foundland Regt., who acted as my Aide de Camp, 1 am much indebt- 
ed for the assistance afforded me. 

Lieui. Le Breton, of the Newfoundland Regt., Assistant Engineer, 
by his unwearied exertions, rendered essential service, as did Lieut. 
Gardiner, of the 41 st. Re<;t. from his science in Artillery. The Roy- 
al Artillery, in the laborious duties they performed, displayed their 
usual unwearied zeal, and were well assisted by the Royal New- 
foundland, (under Lieut. Garden) as additional gunners. The la- 
borious duties which the marine, under Commodore Hall, have per- 
lormed, have been most cheerfully met, and the most essential ser- 
vice rendered. 

I have the honor to send an embarkation return of the force that 
served under my command at the Miami, exclusive ot the Indians, 
who may be staled at 1.200. 

I also enclose a return of our killed, wounded, and prisoners, who 
have, however, been exchanged. 

I had taken npon me to give the rank of Major to the six Captains 
of the line, as militia Avere employed on the same service with them; 
some of them are old officers; all of them deserving ; any mark of 
your Excellency's approbation of them would be extremely grate- 
ful to me. 

I beg leave to mention the four volunteers of the 41st. Regt,, 
Wilkinson, Richardson, Laing, and Procter, as worthy of promotion. 
I have the honor to be, &c, 
(Signed) Henry Procter, 

Brigadier General, Comg. 

I beg to acknowledge the indefatigable exertions of the Commis- 
sariat. (Signed") Henry Procter. 
To His Excellency Lieut. General? 
Sir G. Prevost, Bart. &c. $ 

Embarkation Return of the Western Army commanded by Brig- 
adier General Procter, on an expedition to the Miami. 

Ainherstburg, April 23d, 1813. 

General Staff, — 1 general, 1 lieut, colonel, 1 dep. asst. [qr. mr. 
general, 1 brigade major, 1 staff adjutant. 

Royal Artillery, — 1 lieu t, 1 Serjeant, 1 surgeon, 27 rank & file. 

Royal Engineers, — 1 captain. 

10th Veteran Battalion ; — 5. 

41st. Regiment, — 3 captains, 7 lieutenants, 1 assistant surgeon, 
22 serjeants, G drummers & buglars, 374 rank & file, 

Royal Newfoundland Regt. — 1 captain, 2 lieutenants, 3 serjeants, 
2 drummers, 55 rank & file. 

Commissariat. — 1 dep. asst. commissary general, 1 assistant to 
do., I issuer. 

Field Train, — 1 clerk of stores, 1 conductor. 

Militia, — 1 major, 12 captains, 11 lieutenants, 8 ensigns, 1 adjt. 
22 serjeants, 406 rank & file. 

(Signed) Peter L. Chambers, Major. 

Capt. 41st Regt., Dep. Asst. Q,r. Mr. General, 



97 

Return of killed, wounded, missing, & prisoners, of the Army un- 
der the command of Brig. Gen. Procter, at the Battle fought at the 
Miami, May 5th, 1S13. 

Royal Artillery, — 1 serje'ant, 1 rank & file wounded, 2 rank & 
file prisoners. 

4 L ~ l Regiment,— 1 1 rank & file killed, 1 lieutenant, 3 Serjeants, 35 
rank & file wounded, 2 lieutenants, 1 serjeant, 1 drummer, 33 rank 
& file prisoner?. 

Royal Newfoundland Reot. — 1 drummer, 2 rank & file killed, 
1 rank & file wounded, 1 rank &, (lie prisoner. 

Militia, — 1 captain, 4 rank & file wounded, 1 rank & file 
prisoner. 

Total, — 1 drummer, 13 rank & file killed, 1 capt. 1 lieut, 4 
Serjeants, 41 rank & file wounded, 2 lieuts. 1 Serjeant, 37 rank 
& file prisoners. 

Names of officers wounded & prisoners. 
41st Regiment.— Lieut. Bullock wounded on the 3d. Inst. Lieuts. 
Mclntyre & Hailes prisoners. 

Militia, — Captain Bondy, since dead. 

(Signed) Peter L. Chambers, 

&c, &c, &e. 
Return of Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and privates taken 
prisoners from the enemy on the 5th May, 1813, at the battle fought 
at the Miami. 

United States Regulars, — 1 captain. 21 rank & file. 
10th and 13th detached Kentucky Militia, — 2 majors, 1 brigade 
inspector, 8 captains, 9 li utenants, 6 ensigns, 1 adjutant, 1 pay- 
master, 1 surgeon, 26 Serjeants, 3 drummers, 373 rank & file. 

Prisoners since delivered up £ 1 ensign, 1 asst. surgeon, 

by the Indians. $ li rank& file. 

Grand Total 467. 
N. B. There are a number of prisoners not yet come in, who are 
in the possession of the Indians, but they are brin^inij them in daily. 
(Signed) Peter L. Chambers, 

&c, dec. &c 
May 17th, — Since the above return, 23 prisoners have been given 
up by the Indians. 

(Signed) A. H. McLean, 

Brigade Major. 

In reference to the closing paragraph of the despatch, in which, 
as it will be perceived, the Volunteers of the 41st are for the first, 
and only, time named, I cannot forbear a passing comment. I had 
the honor of being particularly named, in Major Chambers' report 
to General Procter of the action of the 5th of May, as having been 
the only one of the volunteers who chanced to have b?en engaged 
in the storming of the batteries. Yet the Official de-patch includes 
tae names of all, without any regard to their particular service. 
Messrs. Lang and Wilkinson were on the right bank of the river 
with th* defeated party, who of course did thfir duty, but of whom 



08 

At) parti«ular mention is made, while the General's son never ghc« 
quitted the encampment, during the day, or was at any period, either 
then or heretofore, suffered to be exposed to the enemy's tire. This 
remark would not have been recorded but for the very glaring in- 
justice, which, in bestowing commendation in so general and un- 
distinguishable a manner, would aim at depriving a soldier of that 
distinct claim to approbation, admitted by his immediate command- 
ing officer to have been won from him on the field. In the course of 
this narrative of military events, in which, it must be borne in mind 
by the reader, I was a constant participator, I have endeavored, as 
much as possible, to avoid any personal allusion to myself; but this 
is a case where the injustice is too marked lo be passed silently by. I 
had neverseen General Procter's despatch, until thisnarrative wascom- 
menced, but had always understood it to have embraced the particu- 
lar report made by Major Chambers, which however seems to have 
been suppressed. 

Copy of a despatch from Gen. Harrison, ( Ao. 1) to the Secretary 
of War dated 

Head-Quarters, Camp Meigs, 9th May. 1813. 

Sir, — I have the honor to inform you, that the enemy, having 
been several days making preparations for raising the siege of this 
post, accomplished this day the removal of their artillery, from the 
opposite bank, and about 12 o'clock left their encampment below, 
were soon embarked, and out of sight. — I have the honor to enclose 
you an agreement between Gen. Procter and myself, for the dis- 
charge of the prisoners of the Kentucky militia, in his possession, 
and for the exchange of the Officers and men of the regular troops, 
which were respectively possessed by us. My anxiety to get the 
Kentucky troops released, as early as possible, induced me to agree 
to the dismission of all the prisoners I had, although there was not 
as many of ours, in Gen. Procter's possession ; the surplussage is to 
be accounted for, and an equal number of ours released from their 
parole, whenever the government may think proper to direct it. 

The two actions on this side the river, on the 5th, were infinitely 
more honorable to our arms, than I had at first conceived. Jn the 
sortie made upon the left flank, Capt. Waring's company of the 19th 
regiment, a detachment of 12 months volunteers, under Major Alex- 
ander, and three companies of Kentucky militia, under Col. Boswell, 
defeated, at least, double the number ot Indians and British militia. 
The sortie on the right was still more glorious. The British batte- 
ries, in that direction, were defended by the grenadier and light in- 
fantry companies, of the 41st regiment, amounting to 200 effectives, 
and two companies of militia, flanked by a host of Indians. The de- 
tachment sent to attack these, consisted of all the men off duty, be- 
longing to the companies of Croghan and Bradford, of the 17th regi- 
ment, Langham's, Elliott's, (late Graham's,) and Warning's, of the 
lCiu, about 80 of Major Alexander'? volunteers, and a single compa- 



H 

nr of Kentucky militia, under Captain Sebry, amounting, in tn« 
whole, lo not more than 340. Yet the event of the action was not 
a moment doubtful ; and, had not the British troops Deen covered 
in their retreat, by their allies, the whole of them would have been 
taken. 

It is not possible for troops to behave better than ours did, through- 
out ; all the officers exerted themselves to execute my order?, and 
the enemy, who had a full view of our operations, from the opposite 
shore, declared that they had never seen so much work done, in so 
short a time. 

To all the commandants of corps, I feel particular obligations ; 
these were Col. Miller, of the 19th infantry, Col. Mills, of the Ohio 
militia, Major Stoddart, of the artillery, Major Ball, of the dragoons, 
and Major JohnsOQj of the Kentucky militia. 

Captain Gratiot, of the engineers, having been, for a long time, 
much indisposed, the duty of fortifying this post devolved on Captain 
Wood; it could not have been placed in better hands. Permit me 
to recommend him to the President, and to assure you that any 
mark of his approbation, bestowed on Captain Wood, would be 
highly gratifying to the whole of the troops, who witnessed his ar- 
duous exertions. 

From Major Hukill, my aid de-camp Major Graham, Lieutenant 
O'Fallon, and my volunteer aid-de-camp John Johnson, Esq. I re- 
ceived the most useful assistance. 

I have the honor to enclose you a li?t of the killed and woundedj 
during the siege, and in the two sorties; those of the latter were 
much greater than I had at first expected. 

Want of sleep, and the exposures to the continued rains which 
have fallen almost every day, for some time past, renders me incapa- 
ble of mentioning many interesting particulars; amongst others, a 
most extraordinary proposition of Gen. Procter's, on the subject of 
the Indians, within our boundary ; this shall form the subject of a 
communication, to be made to-morrow or next day, and lor which 
I will provide a safer conveyance than that which carries this. 

All the prisoners and deserters agree in saying, that the informa- 
tion given to Major Stoddard, by Ryland, of the British having 
launched a sloop of war, this spring, is incorrect ; the most of them 
say, that the one now building will not be launched for many weeks. 
I am, &c. 

W. H. HARRISON, 

Uo7i. J. Armstrong. 

In the siege, and the several sorties of the 5th instant, there Tra» 
SI killed, and 1S9 wounded — total, killed and wounded, 2?0. 

Copy of a Despatch, Jrom Maj. General William H. Harrisoii 
(No 2) to the Secretary of Wat, dated 

Head quarter's, Lower Sandusky, May 13, 1813. 
Sir,— '•Having ascertained that the enemy (Indians as well at 
British,) had entirely abandoned the neighborhood of the Rapids, I 
left the command of camp Meigs with General Clay, and came here 
last night. It is with the greatest satisfaction I inform you, Sir, 
that I have every reason to believe that the loss of the Kentucky 
troops, in killed, on the north side of the river, dees not exceed fifty. 



100 

On the 10th and 11th inst. I caused the ground, which was the 
scene of action, and its environs, to be carefully examined; and, 
after the most diligent search. 45 bodies only, of our men, wire dis- 
covered ; amongst them was the leader of the detachment, Coi. Dud- 
ley. i\'o other officer of note fell in the action. 1 have strung rea- 
son to believe, that a considerable number of Kentuekians dice led 
their retreat up ti:e river, to fort Winchester. Gtneial Procter did 
not furnish me with a return of the prisoners in his possession, al- 
though repeatedly promised. ^ 

Mis retreat was as precipitate as it could possibly be, leaving a 
number o{' cannon balls, a new elegant sling carriage, for cannon, 
and other valuable articles. The night before his departure, two 
persons that were employed in the British gun-boats, (Americans 
by birth) deserted to us — the information they gave me was very 
interesting ; thev sav that the Indians, JCCO. or 2CC0, left the Bri- 
tish, the day bd'ore their departure, in a high state of dissatisfaction, 
from the great loss which they had sustained in the several engage- 
ments of the 5th. and the failure of the British, in accomplishing 
their promise, of taking the post at the Rapids. From the account 
given by tnese men, my opinion is confirmed of the great superiority 
of the enemy, which were defeated by our troops in the two sallies, 
made on the 5th instant. That, led by Col. Miller, did not exceed 
330 men ; and it is very certain ti at they defeated 200 British regu- 
lars, 151> militia men, and 4 or 5U0 Indians. That American regu 
lars, (although thev were raw recruits.) and such men as compose 
the Pittsburgh, Penn. and Petersburg!), Va. volunteers, should be- 
have weli, is not to be wondered at; but, that a company of mililia 
should maintain its ground, against four limes its number, as did 
Captain Sebre's, of the Kentucky, is truly astonishing. These 
brave fellows were at leng'h. however, entirely surrounded by Indi- 
ans, and would have been entirely cut off, but for the gallantry of 
Lieut. (Jwynne, of the 19lh regiment, who, with a part of Captain 
Elliott's company, charged the enemy, and released the Kentueki- 
ans. — You will receive, herewith, a monthly return ol the troops, at 
camp Meigs, for the last month ; the communication with the other 
posts being cut oil', the re'.urns were not received. A copy of Gen. 
Clay's report lo me, of the. manner of his executing my order, lor 
the atiack on the enemy's batteries, is likewise forwarded, by which 
it will be seen that my intentions were perfectly understood ; and 
the great facility with which they might have been executed, is ap- 
parent to every individual who witnessed the scene ; indeed, I he can- 
non might have been spiked and the carriages cut lo pieces, the mag- 
azine destroyed, and the retreat effected to the boats, without the 
loss of a man. as none were killed in taking the batteries — so com- 
plete was the surprize. 

An extensive open plain intervenes, between ihe river and the hill, 
upon which the batteries of the entmy were placed; this plain was 
raked by 4 of our 18 pounders, a 12, and a 6 ; the enemy, even before 
their guns were spiked, could not have brought one to bear upon it. 
So perfectly secured was their ictreat, that 150 men, who came off, 
effected it without loss, and brought off some of the wounded, one of 
them upon the back of his comrade. The Indians followed them 
to the woods, but dared not enter into the plain. 



101 

I nm enable to form a correct estimate of the enemy's force. Tb« 
prisoners varied much in their accounts; those who made them 
least, stared the regulars at 550, and the militia at cXO; but the 
number ol Indians wore hevond comparison greater than have ever 
been brought into the fie id before ; numbers arrived after the siege 
comn enred. 1 Lave caused their camps, on ihe S. E. side of the 
river, to he particularly examined, and the general opinion is, that 
there could not have been fewer on that side than 10 or 1200. They 
were, indeed the efficient force of the enemy. 

I am sorry to inform vou. that Major Stoddard died the night be- 
fore I left the Rapids, of a look -jaw, produced by a slight wound, 
from a fragment ol a shell, wheh struck him on the thigh ; several 
have died in this way, from their great and unavoidable exposure 
to the cold ; but, perhaps there were never so many instances of 
desperate wounds beii.g likely to do well. The gallant Captain 
Bradford will recover. 

1 shall go from here to Upper Sandusky, and shall take my station 
nt Delaware, or Franklinton, until the troops are assembled. Gen. 
Clay, who commands at the Rapids, is a man of capacity, and eor 
tirely to be relied upon. 

1 have the honor, etc. 

WM. II. HARRISON. 

Hon. J. Armstrong, Sec. War. 



Copy of a letter from Gen. Clay, to Gen. Harrison. 

Camp at Fort Meigs, May—, 1813. 

Sir, — On the 5th instant, about 8 o'clock, A. M., descending the 
Miami ol the lake, about midway of the Rapid's, with 12C0 of the 
Kentucky troops, in eighteen flat bottomed boats, I was met by Capt. 
Hamilton and a subaltern, who delivered me (as he said) the orders 
of Major Gen. Ha ri.^on to the following; effect: 

"You must detach about 800 men from your brigade, who will 
land at a point I will show, about one, or oue and a half miles above 
the fort, and 1 will conduct them to the British batteries, on the left 
bank of the river — they must take possession of the enemy's cannon, 
spike them, cut down the carriages, and return to their boats," ob- 
serving that the British force at their large batteries was inconsidera- 
ble ; but (hat their main force was at the old gairUon, about one and 
a half miles below, on the san e side of :he river — ' the balance of the 
men under your command, must land on the ris;ht bank, opposite the 
first landing, and will light their way through the Indians, to the fort" 
— observing that the route thus to be taken, would be shown by a 
subaltern offieer there, in company with Captain Hamilton, who 
would land the perouge at the point on the right bank, at which the 
boats would land. 

The order of descending the river in boats, was the same as the 
order of march, in line of battle, in solid column, each offieer taking 
position according to his rank. Col. Dudley, the eldest Colonel, led 
the van, and in this order, the river had been descended. As soon 
as Capiain Hamilton had delivered these orders, being in the thir- 
teenth boat from the front, 1 directed him to proceed immediately to 
Col. Dudley, and order him to take the men in the 12 Iront boats, and ex- 
ecute Gen. Harrison's orders, on the left bank of the river; and post 



101 

b'\* Capt. Hamilton's) subaltern on the right bank, to conduct myself, 
with the men in the six rear boats, to the fort. I ordered the five 
boat? in the rear to fall in a line, and follow me. High winds, anJ 
the rapidity of the current, drove four of the rear boats ashore, in the 
attempt to follow on according to order, where they remained a short 
time ; sufficient, however, to detain them one half, or three fourths 
of a mile in the rear. — To land, according to order, I kept close along 
the right bank, until opposite Col. Dudley's landing : there I found no 
guide left, to conduct me to the fort, as Captain Hamilton promised. 
1 then made an attempt to cross the river, and join Col. Dudley ; but, 
from the rapid current on the falls, I was unable to land on the point 
with him. Being nearly halt way across the river, and the wave* 
running too high to risk the boat, then driven down the current side- 
wise, veered about, and rowed the best way we could, to save the 
boats- My attempt to cross the river, to Col. Dudley, occasioned all 
the boats, (I presume in the rear of me,) and which were then out of 
hailing distance, to cross over, and land with Col. Dudley. Having 
been defeated in a landing on the left, we then endeavored to effect 
one on the right, even without a guide; but before a landing could 
be effected, we received a brisk fire from the enemy on shore, which 
was returned, and kept up on both sides ; and I was in this unavoid- 
able situation, compelled to make to fort Meigs, with no other force 
than about 50 men on board, (the other boats being still in the rear) 
and to receive the enemy's fire, until we arrived under the protection 
of the fort. Col. Boswell's command (except the men in my boat,) 
having landed, to join Col. Dudley, were, as I have been informed, 
ordered by Captain Hamilton, immediately to embark, and land on 
the right hand shore, about a mile above the fort, and prepare to fight 
his way through the garrison. The Colonel embarked, landed, as he 
conceived, at the proper point, pursuant to Captain Hamilton's order, 
and was forming his men in order of battle, when he was met by 
Captain Shaw, and ordered to march into the garrison, at open order, 
the safest route. 

When my own boat landed, we were met by two men, who took 
charge of the boat, as we understood, to bring her under the protec- 
tion of the fort batteries ; believing our baggage to be thus made 
safe, we foibid our servants to carry any portion of it; but loaded 
them with cannon balls, which they bore to the fort. Our baggage 
was, however, taken by the Indians, in a very short time after we 
left the boat. In receiving the orders of Capt. Hamilton, I asked 
if he had brought spikes, to spike the enemy's cannon? to which he 
replied, that he had plenty. Captain Hamilton, on delivering the or- 
ders ot General Harrison, observed, that the object of landing, and 
marching a portion of the troops on the right bank, was to draw the 
attention of the Indians ; and, by thus engaging them, afford an oppor-' 
tunity to the garrison to make a sally ;• and, by a circuitous route, sur- 
prize and carry the batteries, and cannon ot the enemy, below the 
fort, on the right bank. 

I am, respectfully, &c. 

GREEN CLAY, Brig. Gen. 

Bit Ex. Maj. Gun. Harrieon. 
(A true Cepy) 

©. CROOHAN, A. D- C. 



10S 

The following General Order, issued bt Brigadiei Green Clay to km 
troops, preparatory to their departure for the Miami, is so amusingly 
in contrast with the report made hy him of his defeat, that, although 
suppressed by the American Historians of the war, it would he an 
unpardonable omission not to record it here. It will be remarked 
that this corps met with precisely the same fate with their butchered 
brethren of the River Raisin, they were hastening to avenge. The 
words emphasized are such as they appear in the original document. 

Cincinnati, April 7, 1813. 
General Orders. 

SOLDIERS, You are now about to leave the shores of Kentucky 
— Many of you can boast that she gave you birth — She is indeed 
dear to us all. 

KENTUCKIANS stand high in the estimation of our common 
country. Our brothers in arms, who have gone before us to the 
scene of action, have acquired a fame, which should never be forgot- 
ten by you — a lame worthy your emulation. 

I feel conscious you would rather see your country no more, than 
return toil, under the impression, that by an act of yours, the high 
character of Kentucky had fallen. 

To support this reputation, purchased by valor and by blood, you 
must with fortitude meet the hardships, and discharge the duties of 
soldiers. Discipline and subordination mark the real soldier — and 
are indeed the soul oi an army. 

In every situation, therefore, the most perfect subordination — the 
most rigid discharge of duty will be expected from all. Partiality or 
injustice shall be shown to none. 

I have the most perfect confidence in your attachment and support 
through every difficulty we may encounter. 

It is upon you — it is upon your subordination and discipline I rely, 
for a successful issue of the present campaign. Without this confi- 
dence and support, we shall achieve nothing honorable or useful. 

The same destiny awaits us both. That which exalts or sinks 
you in the estimation of your country, will produce to me her appro- 
bation or condemnation. 

Feeling this same common interest, the first wishes of my heart 
are, that the present campaign should prove honorable to all, and 
useful to the country. 

Should we encounter the enemv — remember the dreaoful. fate 
of our BUTCHERED BROTHERS at the river raisin— that 
British treachery produced their slaughter. 

The justice of our cause — with the lid of an appioving Providence, 
will be sure guarantees to our success. 

GREEN CLAY, 

BRIGADIEIl GENERAL. 

The Right Division were not long suffered to remain inactive — 
Like Sir Thomas Picton's famous division in Spain, they might, on 
a muek more modest and limited scale, hare been termed the fighting 



194 

division of Canada. No other corps was so Incessantly in the field 
—no other corps achieved such important and beneficial results to 
the country, nnd when it is considered that this force comprised 
scarcely more than a single regiment of the line, the repeated claims 
made upon its energies and exertions, becomes even more remarkable. 
Late in July, at the earnest instance of Tecumseh, who had formed 
a plan for the reduction of Fort Meigs, which he conceived would 
be crowned with the fullest success, a second expedition, consisting 
of the main body oi the 41st. (Captain Derenzy having recently join- 
ed with those detachments of the regiment which had borne so con- 
picuous a part in the battle of Queenstown) a few militia, and near- 
ly a thousand Indians, accompanied by a few pieces of light artillery, 
was undertaken against this fortress. On our arrival in the Miami 
the whole of the regular force and guns were disembarked on the 
right bank of the river, out of view of the fort, yet not far from the 
point where our light batteries had been carried during the late 
siege. 

Tecumseh's plan was as follows. Immediately in rear of Fort 
Meigs, and at right angles with the river, ran the road to Sandusky, 
(distant about thirty miles) upon, or near, which the Chief had been 
apprized by his scouts that General Harrison, who with a large por- 
tion of his force had left the fort soon after its relief from General 
Procter's presence, was at that moment encamped. Having landed 
some miles lower down the river, the whole of the Indian force was 
to march through the woods, and gain, unperceived by the troops in 
the fort, the Sandusky road where a sham engagement was to lake, 
place, leading the garrison to believe a corps hastening to their relief 
had been encountered and attacked by the Indians, and inducing them to 
make a sortie for their rescue. The moment they had crossed the open 
ground, intervening between their position and the skirt of the wood, 
we Avere to rise from our ambuscade, and take them in the rear, ma- 
kingatthe same time a rush for the fort, before the enemy could have 
time effectually to close his gates. 

All the preliminary features in this plan (which certainly was one 
that gave every fair promise of success) had been completed, anil we 
were awaiting with some interest and impatience the result, when 
the heavy firing of two distinct parlies suddenly commenced on the 
Fandusky road. We were all instantly, although noiselessly, upon 
the alert, bat in vain did we look for any movement in the fort. Many 
of the garrison lined the ramparts in the rear, and seemed to look 



105 

out anxiously in the direction of the firing, but they gave not lh« 
slightest indication of a design to leave the fort,*eveh when the mus- 
ketry had become so animated and heavy, that we were half in doubt 
Ourselves whether the battle was a sham one or a real. Either they 
had obtained information of our presence, or they suspected the na- 
ture and object of the ruse, and we had the mortification to find our- 
selves utterly foiled in the grand design of the expedition. Annoy- 
ed at the failure of his cherished scheme, Tccumseh urged upon Gen- 
eral Procter, the necessity of doing something before our return, and 
it being found out of all question to attempt the reduction of 
Fort Meigs with the light guns (0 pounders) which accompanied us, 
it was determined to change the theatre of operation to Sandusky. 
Thither the main body of the Indians proceeded by land, while we 
re-embarked in our boats, and descending again the Miami, gained 
Lake Erie, and thence the Sandusky river, on which the fort of that 
name is built. 

The expedition having reached the Sandusky river early on tho 
1st of August, a landing was effected on tie same day, and within 
range of the enemy's guns, several ineffectual discharges from which 
passed over us, as we traversed a plain several hundred yards m ex- 
tent in order to gain the wood, on the skirt of which it was intended 
to plant the batteries. These being immediately erected, at day-break 
on the following morning our fire was opened, and continued until 
three o'clock in the afternoon of the 2nd, when, it being evident that 
no breach could be effected on the stockade work, General Procter 
resolved to attempt it by assault. Accordingly at four o'clock the 
troops divided into three columns of about L20 men each, were put 
in motion, and advancing through the plain, iu double quick time, 
were suffered to approach within fifty yards, before they were met by 
the destructive fire ot the enemy. The strong line of picketing, con- 
stituting their defence, was surrounded by a ditch flanked by batte- 
ries, and beyond 'he ditch was a deep ravine covered with brushwood, 
and more, or less approximate to the place, according to its windings- 
Far from being checked by the severe fire of the Americans, the di- 
visions redoubled their exertions, and vying with each other to take 
the lead, dashed down the ravine, ami clambering up the opposite 
tUeep, were soon beneath the waii.s of the fort. N o t a fascine, how- 
ever, had been provided ; and although axes had been distributed 
among a body of men selected for the purpose, they were so blunted 
bv fonstan' U38, that it would have br>en the work Of hours to cut 



|#8 

rtsrongh the double line of pickets, even if an en<*my had not beea 
there to interrupt its progress. In Reliance of this difficulty, the axe- 
men leaped without hesitation into the ditch, and attempted to ac- 
quit themselves of their duty; but they were speedily swept away 
by the guns from the batteries, charged with musket halls and slugs 
and directed with fatal precision. The troops had established them- 
selves en -the edge cf the ditch, but it was impossible to scale with- 
out the aid of ladders or fascines ; and within a few paces of the en- 
emy only, thev saw their comrades fall on every hand with no hope 
ol avenging their deaths. The second division had only two officer; 
attached to it. Brevet Lieutenant-colonel Short, of the 41st, was 
killed while descending the ravine at the head of his column, wher, 
the command devolving on Lieutenant Gordon of the same regiment, 
that officer encouraging his men, and calling on them to follow his ex- 
ample, was one of the first in the ditch, and was in the act of cutting 
the picketing with his sabre, when a ball, fired from a wall-piece, 
struck him in the breast. Although dangerously wounded, he refus- 
ed to abandon his post, and continued to animate his men by his ex- 
ample, until a second ball, fired from the same pieee, and lodging in 
his brain, left the division without an officer. The action had con- 
tinued nearly two hours without producing the slightest impression 
on the enemy, when the bugles sounded the ''cease firing," and the 
men were ordered to lie flat on the ground on the edge ol the ravine. 
The first division were so near the enemy, that they could distinct- 
ly hear the various orders given in the fort, and the faint voices ot the 
wounded and dying in the ditch, calling out for water, which the en- 
emy had tli e humanity to lower to them on the instant. After con- 
tinuing in this position until nine o'clock, the columns received an 
order to effect their retreat in silence, which was done accordingly, 
the enemy merely firing a few vollies of musketry, producing however 
no material eflect. The troops having been re-embarked the same 
night, the expedition descended the river, and returned to Amherst- 
burg. Our loss in this affair was severe — 3 officers, 1 Serjeant, 
22 rank and file killed; 3 officers, 2 serjeants, 3(i rank and file woun- 
ded ; and 1 scrjeanl, 2S tank and file missing. Of this number, the 
proportion of the 1st. division alone, consisting principally of the 
light company of tke 41st. which had attacked the strongest point of 
the position, was five and thirty men. 

During the assault, no assistance whatever was afforded by the 
Indians, who. unaccustomed to this mode of warfare, contented them- 



107 

•*!res with remaining quiet spectators of the scene. The " devoted 
men" alone, to whom I have before alluded, followed close in the 
rear of one of the column*, but they had not long: witnessed the ef- 
fect of the enemy's fire on t lie divisions, when they retreated to the 
wood with a precipitation, that with any other people, would be 
attributed to cowardice.but with the natives could it only be consider- 
ed as the effect of habit. They expressed much astonishment at 
the coolness. and intrepidity with which the men supported the 
fire of the enemy, without returning it until arrived at the edge of 
the ditch ; and concluded by saying that they had ever hitherto 
deemed themselves the bravest nation in the wot Id, but were now 
willing to concede that distinction to the warriors of their Great 
Father. 

The garrison of Sandusky, when attacked, consisted ot a force 
inferior in number to that of the assailing columns, and was com- 
manded by Major Cioghan of the line, a promising officer, only 
nineteen years of age. The gallant defence made by him on this 
occasion met with the highest encomia from his countrymen, and 
he was immediately promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel; 
neither was his conduct Without its uwnid in the approbation of a 
sex, whose favor and encouragement seldom fail to act as incentive* 
to the acquisition of military gloiy. The ladies of Chio (the State 
in which Colonel Croghan was born) subscribed a considerable sum, 
with which a handsome sword was purchased aid presented by 
themselves. It is but just to record an act of great courtesy on the 
part of this geut'eman. An officer having been despatched to San- 
dusky with a flag, some days subsequent to the assault, in order to ob- 
tain an exchange of the prisoners, who were chiefly wounded, was re- 
ceived with much politeness by the commandant, w ho at the moment of 
departure drew from his secretary a pair of pistols, which had b( en 
lost in the brushwood of the ravine during our retreat at night. Pre- 
suming from the workmanship and style, that they might be, what 
in fact they actually were, old family arms, and naturally imagining 
that their loss must be regretted by their possessor, he begged the 
officer in question to take charge of, and present them to the indivi- 
dual to whom they belonged. It is unnecessary to add that thev 
were gratefully received. They were my ow r n, and had been lent 
to the gallant Lieutenant Gordon. 

It is somewhat singular that General Procter's repoit of the se- 
cond expedition to the Miami, is no where to be found. It could 



103 

&ol fail to prove a document of some interest to the public, desirons 
of knowing in what manner he had accounted for his unpardonable 
peglcct of all necessary precaution, to ensure the successful issue of 
of an attack which ought, in no way, to have been rashly undertaken 
The. only British document, referring to the matter at all, is the fol- 
lowing briei notice by Sir George Prevost, on the subject; evidently 
founded on a more detailed communication from General Procter, 
which it has been expedient to suppress. 
General Order. 

Head Quarters, Kingston, 
Adjutant Generals Office, 3d Sept., 1813. 

His Excellency the commander of the Forres, has received a des- 
patch from Major General Procter reporting the circumstances of an 
attack, made by a smail portion of regular troops, and a body of In- 
dian Warrior;, on the 2nd of August on the American Fort of Low- 
er SancTusky, which owing to the strength of the enemy's works, 
which resisted the fire of the li^ht field guns brought against it — so 
that a practicable breach could not be effected — as also from the want 
df sufficient cooperation on the part of the Indian Warriors, un 
used to thai mode of warfare, the assault was not attend- 
ed with that brilliant success which has so uniformly signalized the 
callant exertions of the Right Division. The Major General extols 
the intrepid bravery displayed by the detachment under Brevet Lieu- 
tenant Colonel Short, in endeavouring to force a passage into the 
enemy : s lort, and laments the loss of the brave soldiers who have 
fal.en in this gallant although unsuccessful assault. 
Return of killed and wounded. 

1 captain, 1 lieutenant. 1 sergeant, 1 drummer, 21 rank & file kil- 
led. 1 sergeant and 28 rank & file missing. 2 captains, 1 lieuten- 
ant. 2 sergeants, 1 drummer, 35 rank & file wounded. 

Kited, Brevet Lieut. Col. Short, Lt. Gordon, 41st Regt., Lt. Laus- 
saussiege Indian Department. 

Wounded. Captain Dixon, Royal Engineers, Capt. Mutr and Lieut. 
Me In tyre, 41st Regt. all slightly. 

By His Excellency's command, 

Eduaid Baynes, Adjutant General. 



Copy of a letter from Major Croghan, to Gen. Harrison, dated 

Loxcer Sandusky, August 5, 1S13, 

Dear Sir — I have the honor to inloim you, that the combined force 
of the enemy, amounting to, at least 500 regulars, and as many In- 
dians, under the immediate command of Gen. Proctor, made i's ap- 
pearance before this place, early on Sunday evening last; and, as 
soon as the General had made such disposition of his troops, as would 
cut off my retreat, (should I be disposed to make one.) lie sent Col. 
Elliot, accompanied by Maj.or Chamber?, with a flag, to demand the 
surrender of the foit. as he was anxi.ous to spare the effusion of blood; 
which he should probably not have in his power to do, should he be 
reduced to the necessity of taking the place by storm. My an- 
swer to the summons was, that I was determined to defend tha 



109 

place to the las', extremity ; and that no force, howerer large, 
should induce me to surrender it. So soon as the flag had returned, 
a brisk fire was opened upon us, from the gun-boats in the river, and 
from a five arid a half inch howitzer, en shore, which was kept up 
with little intermission, throughout the night. At an early hour, the 
next morning, three sixes, (which had been placed, duriDg the night, 
within 250 yards of the pickets,) began to | lay upon us — but with 
little effect. ' About 4 o'clock, P. IV1. discovering that the fire, Irom 
all his guns, was concentrated against the N. W. angle of the fort, 
1 became. confident that his object was to make a breach, and attempt 
to storm the works at that point: I. therefore, ordered out as many 
men. as could be employed, for the purpose of strengthening that part 
— which was so effectually secured, by means of bags of Hour, sand, 
&c. that the picketing suffered little or no injury; notwithstanding 
which, the enemy, about 500, having formed in close column, ad- 
vanced to assault our works, at the expected point; at the same time 
making two feints on the front of Captain Hunter's lines. The 
column, which advanced against the north-western angle, consisting 
ol about 350 men, was so completely enveloped in smoke, as not to 
be discovered, until it had approached within 18 or 20 paces of the 
lines; but, the men being all at their p^sts, and ready to receive it, 
commenced so heavy and galling a fire, as to throw the column a lit- 
tle intj confusion ; beins quickly rallied, it advanced to the outworks, 
and began to leap into the ditch ; just at th:t moment, a fire of grape 
was opened, from our 6 pounder, (which had been previously arrang- 
ranged, so as to rake in that direction,) which, together with the 
musKetry, threw them into such confusion, that ihey were compel- 
led to retire, precipitately, to the woods. — During the assault, which 
lasted about half an hour, an incessant fire was kept up by the enp- 
my's artillery, (which consisted of five sixes, and a howitzer,) but 
without effect. My whole loss, during the siege, was one killed, and 
seven slightly wounded. The loss of the enemy, in killed, wounded, 
and prisoners, must exceed 150. One Lieut. Colonel, a Lieutenant, 
and 50 rank and file, were found in and about the ditch, dead or 
wounded; those of the remainder, who were notable to escape, were 
taken off, during the night, by the Indians. Seventy stand of arms, 
and several brace of pistols, have been collected near the works. 
About 3, in the morning, the enemy sailed down the river, leaving 
behind them a boat, containing clothing, and considerable military 
stores. 

Too much praise cannot be bestowed on the officers, non-commis- 
sioned officers, and privates, under my command, for their gallantry, 
and good conduct, during the siege. 

Yours, with respect, 

G. CROGHAN, Maj. 17th U. S. Inf. comg. 

The period was now fast approaching when the fruits of so 
much toil and privation were to be wrested from our grasp, and the 
extensive line of territory, both original and acquired, so gallantly 
defended by a single regiment against the repeated invasions o{ the 
enemy during a period of fifteen months, was to fall beneath the ef- 
forts of numerical strength. Since th* capture of Detroit, the Ame- 



no 

rleana had been indefatigable in their exertions to establish a supe- 
riority of naval force, en which, they well knew, depended the ulti- 
mate success of their arms. Buffalo was the harbour selected for 
the construction of their flotilla, which, under the hands ol numerous 
workmen, soon presented a formidable appearance, and was deemed 
more than sufficient toensure their ascendancy on the lake. Manned 
by experienced seamen taken from several frigates then blockaded 
in their sea-ports, and commanded by able aiid intelligent officers, 
these vessels put forth towards the close of August, and continued 
cruising off the harbour of Amherstburg, in which our fleet lay, a- 
waiting the completion of the Detruit, a vessel of twenty guns tiien 
on the stocks, and ihe arrival of seamen long promised and vainly 
expected from Lake Ontario. Captain Barclay had arrived some 
time previous to take the command, and with him several officers and 
forty men: but notwithstanding every remonstrance on the subject made 
by the commanding officer of the division, no farther assistance was 
afforded. The remaining part ol the crews were provincial sailors, 
willing and anxious, it is true, to do their duty, hut without that per- 
fection and experience in their profession, which are so indispensably 
necessary to the insurance of success in a combat ai sea. In defi- 
ance of this disadvantage, the enemy had no sooner made his appear- 
ance, than the Detroit was launched in her rough and unfinished state, 
and armed, in default of other guns, with long battering pieces taken 
from the ramparts. Every calibre was employed — sixes, nines, 
twelves, eighteens, and even the two twenty-four pounders which 
had been so successfully used at the Miami. The early part of 
September was employed in getting in her masts and rigging, and 
in a few days the fleet was ready to sail. Our position at this peri- 
od had become exceedingly critical. The want of provisions began 
to be seriously felt, and the ultimate posses-ion of the garnson de- 
pended wholly on the result of the naval conflict, for which both par- 
ties were preparing. In the event of the enemv being successful, not 
only must we be open to the incursions of the large forces, then col- 
lected in several quarters, and ready to overwhelm us at the moment 
that the command of the lake would afford them facility of movement, 
but the means o( obtaining supplies from Fort Erie must be entirely 
cutoff. The quantity of provisions already consumed had been en- 
ormous; for independently of the wanton destruction of cattle bv the 
Indians, who often shot or stabbed them merely to possess them- 
selves of the horns, in which they secured their powder, leaving the 



Ill 

carcasses to putiify in the sun, ten thousand rations were daily issued 
to the warriors and their families: (he latter apparently increasing 
in numbers, as our means of supplying them became more contracted. 

Such was the situation of the garrison, reduced in its regular force 
to a handful of men. by the losses sustained in the various engage- 
ments herein detailed, when Captain Barclay, who had hoisted hi? 
flag on board the Detroit, made the signal, early on the morning of 
the 9th, to weigh anchor and bear across the lake. The little fleet, 
consisting of six sail, were, at day light on the 10th, per- 
ceived by the enemy, then lying among a cluster oi Islands at some 
leagues distance, who immediately bore up under a light side-wind, 
favorable at that moment to the approach of the two squadrons. At 
one o'clock the engagement commenced. The Detroit leading into 
action, was opposed tn the St. Lawrence, mounting eighteen thirty- 
two pounders, and commanded by the American Commodore; and 
such was the elftct of the long guns. that the latter vessel was soon com- 
pelled to strike her fia^, having 'only twenty serviceable men left. 
The Detroit and Queen Charlotte had. however, suffered severely in 
their sails and rigging from the fire of the enemy's gun-boats ; and net 
only everv one of their boats had been so severely wounded as to ren- 
der it impossible to take possession of the prize; but the united and 
unceasing exertions of their crews could not prevent them from run- 
ning foul of each ether. Availing himself of ibis unfortunate accident) 
Commodore Perry, who had shifted his flag to the I\"iagara, a vessel 
of equal force with the St. Lawrence, bore up and discharged his 
broadside with murderous effect. Waring immediately, a second 
and equally destructive followed, and in this manner was the action 
continued, rendering resistance almost hopeless. The other smaller 
vessels, already warmly engaged, could aflord no aid, and the guns 
of the unfortunate wrecks were at length nearly all unserviceable, 
— those, at least, of the only batteries which could be brought to bear 
upon the enemy. Almost every officer had been compelled to leave 
the deck, and tire helplessness of the crews could only be exceeded 
by their despair, when after two hours and a half of incessant cannon, 
ading, the British flag was replaced by the Eagle of America. 

The anxiety with which the issue of the combat was awaited at 
Amherstburg, where the firing was distinctly heard, may easily be 
conceived. From the heights overhanging the lake, and nearly op- 
posite to the islands, the first encounter of the fleets was clearly ob- 
served, but the thick columns of smoke in which they were, speedi- 



112 

)j enveloped, precluded all possibility of following the progress oi 
the contest ; nor was it until the thufider of the artillery had beea 
tame time discontinued, that the clouds of vapour gradually dispel- 
ling, presented the melancholy picture of our vessels, several of them 
crippled and dismasted, following in the track of the American fleet, 
then directing its course towards the bnv of Sandusky. 

In this affair, sounfavorable in its result to our already precarious 
cause, the enemy had the most decided advantage, not only in re- 
spect to superiority of seamen, but in number of ships, and in weight 
of metal. Their fleet consisted of nine sail, of which the two prin- 
cipal, the St. Lawrence and Niagara, mounted eighteen thirty-two 
pounders. Four others were armed with a brig gun of the same 
calibre, and keeping aloof during the action, were enabled by the 
calm st?.te of the lake to do much execution among ourprincipal ves - 
sels. which were completely raked by their destructive fire. The 
vessels composing Captain Barclay's lorce were — the Detroit, twen- 
ty guns; Q,uecn Charlotte, twenty guns; Lady Prevost, twelve 
guns ; Genera! Hunter, six guns ; and two small craft, one of which 
mounted a mortar, the other a long eighteen-pounder ; and the whole 
weight of metal did not amount to 1100 pounds: while that of the 
enemy, exclusive of the three remaining vessels of their flotilla each 
mounting several guns, was 12S0 : and when it is taken into consider 
ation that the accident which occurred early in the engagement to 
the two principal ships, prevented all possibility of bringing a second 
broadside to bear, while the enemy, on the contrary, were enabled 
to avail lhemselv.es of their whole metal, the disproportion will ap- 
pear even more enormous. Notwithstanding the disparity of force, 
however, a different result might have been expected, had the un- 
ceasing applications made for sailors been attended to by the naval 
commander on Lake Ontario, to whose unwillingness to part with 
men, who might very well have been spared for the occasion, must 
be attributed the sacrifice of the gallant Barclay and his fleet, and 
eventually that of the Right Division. The necessity of having regu 
lar and experienced seamen was never more cruelly exemplified 
than on the present occasion; since, in all probability, had they been 
present, the accident which left the Detroit and Queen Charlotte 
entirely at the mercy of the enemy, would either have been prevent- 
ed, or remedied in time. All that courage and perseverance could 
effect was done : but against the decree of Providence who may suc- 
cessfully oppose hi fn self? Captain Barclay, who had already b>* 



113 

one limb while fighting the battles of his country, was so severely 
wounded in his only remaining arm, ns to he compelled to ieave the 
deck early in the action. Captain Firrnis, commanding the Queen 
Charlotte, was killed by a round shot soon afterward?, and she 
same ball carried off Lieutenant Garden, a promising young officer 
of the Newfoundland Regiment, mingling the blood of the ore and 
the brains of the other, on the bulwark, in one melancholy and (in- 
distinguishable mass. 1 had subsequently an opportunity of witnes- 
sing the devastation of this sanguinary day- The decks were lite- 
rally filled with the wounded; and such was the crippled slate of the 
Detroit, that not n man was left standing: almost all the guns 
were dismounted, and it was impossible to place a hand on that 
side which had teen exposed to the enemy's lire, without covering 
part of a wound, either from grape, cannisler, or round shot. 

Subjoined is Captain Barclay's account of the action. 

Head Quarters, Montreal, 

Nov. 25th, 
My Lord, 

1 lr,ve the honor to transmit to your Lordship a copy of a let- 
ter from Commodore Sir James Yeo, together with Capt. Barclay's 
official account of the action on Lake Erie, referred to in my despatch 
u your Lordship of the 22nd September and 8th of October last. I 
am happy to be able to add. that Captain Barclay is recovering of 
his wounds, -iwd that there is a prospect of bis valuable life and ser- 
vices being preserved for the benefit of his country. 

1 have the honor to be, &c. 

George Pievost. 
The Risht Hon. Earl Eathurst, 
&,c, ccc, ccc. 

His Majesty's Ship Noble, 

at Kingston, Nov. 15th. 
Sir, — T yesterday received Captain Barclay'* official statement of 
the ill-fated action'on Lake Erie, an- 1 as you; Excellency must wish 
to be informed of every particular, 1 have the honor io enclose a copy 
of the same. It appears to me that though his Majesty's Squadron 
were very deficient in s amen, weight ol metal, and particularly long 
guns, yet the gteatest misfortune was the loss ol every officer, par- 
ticularly Captain Finnis, whose life, had it beeu spared, would, in 
my opinion, have saved the squadron. 

I have honor to be, &C-. 

James Lucas Yeo, Commodore. 
His Excellency Sir George Prevost, Bart. 
Governc; and General in Chief. 



114 

His Majesty's late Ship Detroit. 
Put-iu Bay, Lake Erie, Sept. 22d. 

Sir, — The last letter I had the honor of writing to you, dated the 
6th instant, I informed you, that unless certain intimation was re- 
ceived of more seamen being on their way to Amherstburg, I should 
be obliged to sail with the squadron deploiably manned as it was, to 
fight the enemy (who blockaded the port,) to enable us to get sup- 
plies of provisions and stores of every description; so perfectly des- 
titute of provisions was the port, that there was not a day's flour in 
the store, and the squadron under my command were on half allow- 
ance of many things, and when that was done there was no more. 
Such were the motives which induced Major General Procter (whom 
by your instructions I was directed to consult, and whose wishes I 
was enjoined to execute, as fai as related to the good of the country,) 
to concur in the necessity of a battle being risked under the many 
disadvantages which I labored, and it now remains for me, the most 
melancholy task to relate to you the unfortunate issue of that battle, 
as well as the many untoward circumstances that led to that event. 
No intelligence of seamen having arrived, I sailed on the 9th inst. 
fully expecting to meet the enemy next morning, as they bad been 
seen among the islands ; nor was I mistaken; soon after daylight 
they were seen in motion in Put-in-bay, the wind then at S. W. and 
light, giving us the weather-gage. I bore up with them, in hopes of 
bringing them to action among the islands, but that intention was 
soon frustrated, by the wind suddenly shifting to the south-east, 
which brought the enemy directly to windward. The line was form- 
ed according to a given plan, so that each ship might be supported 
against the superior force of the two brigs opposed to them. About 
ten the enemy had cleared the islands, and immediately bore up, un- 
der easy sail, in a line abreast, each brig being also supported by the 
small vessels. At a quarter before twelve I commenced the action, 
by giving a few long guns; about a quarter past, the American Com- 
modore, also supported by two schooners, one carrying four long 
twelve-pounders, the other a long 32 and 24-pounder, came to close 
action with the Detroit; the other brig of the enemy, apparently des- 
tined to engage the Queen Charlotte, supported in like manner by 
two,schooners, kept so far to windward as to render the Queen Char- 
lotte's 20-pounder carronades useless, while she was with the Lady 
Prevost, exposed to the heavy and destructive fire of the Caledonia, 
and four other schooners, armed with long and heavy guns, like those 
I have already described. Too soon, alas! was! deprived of the 
services of the noble and intrepid Captain Finnis, who soon after the 
commencement of the action fell, and with him fell my greatest sup- 
port; soon after, Lieutenant Slokoe of the Queen Charlotte, was struck 
senseless by a splinter, which deprived the country of his services at 
tiis very critical period. Provincial Lieutenant Irvine, who then had 
Ciarge of the Queen Charlotte, behaved wiih great courage, but his 
experience was much too limited to supply the place ol such an officer 
as Captain Finnis, hence she proved of far less assistance than I 
expected. 

The action continued with great fury until half past two, when I 
perceived my opponent drop astern, and a boat passing lrom him to 
the Niagara (which vessel was at this time perfectly fresh,) the 



115 

American Commodore seeing, that as yet the day was against him, 
(his vessel having struck soon after he left her,) and also the very 
defenceless state of the Detroit, which ship was now a perfect wreck, 
principally from the raking fire of the gun boats, and also that the 
dueen Charlotte was in such a situation, that I could receive very 
little assistance from her, and the Lady Prevost being at this time 
too far to leeward, from her rudder being injured, made a noble, and 
alas ! too successful an effort to regain it, for he bore up, and support- 
ed bv his small vessels, passed within pistol shot, and took a raking 
position on our bow, nor could 1 pi event it, as the unfortunate situa- 
tion of the dueen Charlotte prevented us from waring; in attempt- 
ing it we fell on board her; my gallant first Lieutenant Garland was 
now mortally wounded, and myself so severely, that I was obliged to 
leave the deck. Manned as the squadron Avas, with not more than 
fifty British seamen, the rest a mixed crew of Canadians and soldiers, 
and who were totally unacquainted with such service, rendered the 
loss of officers more sensibly felt, and never in any action was the 
loss more severe ; every officer commanding vessels, and their se- 
conds, was either killed or wounded so severely, as to be unable to 
keep the deck. Lieut. Buchan, in the Lady Prevost, behaved most 
nobly, and did every thing that a brave and experienced officer could 
do in a vessel armed with 12-pound carronades, against vessels car- 
rying long guns. I regret to state that he was severely wounded. 
Lieut. Bignall of the Dover, commanding the Hunter, displayed t lie 
greatest intrepidity ; but his guns being small, (two, four, and six 
pounders) he could be of much less service than he wished. Every 
officer in the Detroit, behaved in the most exemplary manner Lieut. 
Inglis showed such calm intrepidity, that I was lully convinced that, 
on leaving the deck, I left the ship in excellent hands ; and for an ac- 
count of the battle, after that, I refer you to his letter which he wrote 
me, for your information. Mr. Hofimeisier purser of the Detroit, 
nobly volunteered his services on deck, and behaved in a manner that 
reflects the highest honor on him. .1 regret to add, that he is very 
severely wounded in the knee. Provincial Lieut. Purvis, and the 
military officers, Lieuts. Garden of the Royal Newfoundland Ran- 
gers, and O'Keefeof the 41st Regt., behaved in a manner which ex 
cited my warmest admiration; the few British seamen I had behaved 
with their usual intrepidity, and as long as I was on deck, the troops 
behaved with a calmness and courage, worthy of a more fortunate 
issue to their exertions. 

The weather-gage gave the enemy a prodigious advantage, as it 
enabled them not only to choose their position, but their distance al- 
so, which they did in such a manner as to prevent the carronades of 
the dueen Charlotte and Lady Prevost, from having much effect; 
while their long guns did great execution, particularly against the 
dueen Charlotte. Capt. Perry has behaved in a most humane and 
attentive manner, not only to myself and officers, but to all the wound- 
ed. 1 trust that although unsuccessful, you will approve of the mo- 
tives that induced me to sail under so many disadvantages, and that 
it may be hereafter proved that, under such circumstances, the honor 
of his Majesty's flag has not been tarnished. 1 enclose the list of kil- 
led and wounded. 

I hare the honor to be &c. 
(Signed) R. H. Barclay, Commander, 

and late Senior officer. 



lie 

His Majesty's late ship Detroit, 
Sept. lOlh. 

Sir, — I have the honor to tranrmit to yon an account ol the termi- 
nation pf ilie lati* unfortunate battle with the enemy's squadron. 

On coming on the .quarter deck after your being wounded, the ene- 
my's second brig. ;.t i hat lime' un our weather beani, shortly after* 
wards took a position on cur wiather-bow to laieus; in prevent 
which, in attempting io ware, to at t ou> - starboard broadside lo bear 
upon her. a number oJ ihe guns on 'he larboard broadside being at 
this time disabled, fell on board ihe Queen Charlotte, at this time, 
running up to Ue ward of us. In this situation ihe twos-hips remain- 
ed lor seme time. As soon as we got clear from her, I ordered the 
Queen Charlotte to shout ahead of us if possible; and attempted to 
back our fore-topsail to get astern, but the ship laying completely 
unmanageable, every brace cui away, the wizen top-mast and gaff 
down, all the other masts badly wounded, not a stay left forward, 
hull shattered very much a number of guns disabled. and the enemy's 
squadron raking both ships ahead and astern, none of our own in a 
situation to support us, I was under the painful necessity of answer- 
ing the enemy, lo say we Lad struck, the Queen Charlotte having 
previously done so. 

I have the honor to be &c, 
(Signed) George Inglis. 

To Capt. Barclay, 

&c, &c, ccc. 

A list of killed and wounded in His Majesty's ships and vessels 
in an action with the American squadron on Lake Eiie, the J Oth 
September, ]8I3. 3 officers and 38 men, killed; 'J officers, 85 men, 
wounded. Total — 41 killed ; 94 wounded. 

Names of officer' kilted and wounded, —-Lieut. .7 mes Garden, Roy- 
al Newfoundland Regiment, killed; Detroit, killed ; First Lieut. John 
Garland; wounded, Captain IV. II. Baiclay, dangerously; J. II. Hofl- 
meisier. j urser, dangerously ; Queen Charlotte, killed; Captain Ro- 
bert Finnis; wounded, First Lieut. Janes Stokoe, severely; James 
Foster, midshipman, slightly ; Lady Prevosi, Wounded: Lieut. Ed- 
ward Buchan, commanding, dangerously ; First Lieut. F. Rolette, 
severely; Hunter, wounded; Lieut. George Bignall, commanding, 
severely; Henry Gateshill, master's mate, slightly; Chippeway, 
wounded ; master's mate. J. Campbell, commanding, slightly. 

(Signed) R. H. Barclay, Commander, and 

late Senior officer. 

The annexed is Commodore Perry's Official account ofthe action. 
U. S. Schr. Ariel, Pui-ii-Bay, 13lh Srpt. 1813. 

SIR — In my last, I informed ycu that we had captured the em- 
ray's fleet, on tlii< lake. 1 have new the honor lo give you the rr est 
import nit particulars of the action: — On the morning of the iOth 
i.istant, at sun rise, they were discovered ftom Put-in-Bav, u here I 
lay at anchor, with the squadron nnd< r my command. We got un- 
der weigh, the wind light at S. R. and brought us to windward; 
formed the line, and hore up. At 15 mir utes before 12. the enemy 
comueneed bring; at 5 minutes before 12, t lie action commenced on 
our part. Finding their file very destructive, owing to their long; 



117 

guns, and its being mostly directed at the Lawrence, I mado sail, 
and directed the other vessels to follow, for the purpose of closing 
with the enemy — every brace and bow line being soon shot away, 
she became unmanageable, notwithstanding the great exertion's of 
the sailing-master. In this situation, she sustained the action up- 
wards of two hours, within cani.-ter dislance, until every gun was 
rendered useless, and the greater part of the crew either lei 1 led or 
Wiundtd. Finding she could no longer annoy the enemy, 1 left her 
in enarje of Lieui Yarnell, who, I wa< convinced, frOm the bravery 
already displayed by Inm, won d do what would comport with the 
honor of the flajj. At half past 2, the wind springing up, Captain 
Elliot was enabled to bring Lis vessel, the Niagara, gallantly into 
close action ; I immediately went on board of her, when he antici- 
pated my wish, by volunteering to bring the schooners, which had 
been kept astern by the lightness of the wind, into close action. 

It was with unspeakable pain that I saw, soon after i qot on board 
of (he Niagara, the flap; of (he Lawrence come down; although 1 was 
perfectly sensible that she had been defended to tiie last, and that 
to have continued to make a show of resistance, would have been a 
wanton sacrifice of the remains of her brave crew. But the enemy 
was not able to take possession of her, and circumstances soon per- 
mitted her (lag again to be hoisted* At 15 minutes past 2, the sig- 
nal was made for ''close action ;'' the Niagara being very little in- 
jured, I determed to pass through the enemy's line — bore up, and 
passed ahead of their two ship«, and a brig, giving a raking fire to 
them, from [he starboard guns and to a large schooner, and sloop, 
from the larboard side, at half pistol-shot distance. The smaller ves- 
sel-, at thii time, having got within grape and canister distance, un- 
der the direction of Capt. Elliot, and ke< ping up a well directed fire, 
the two ships, a brig, and a schooner and sloop ma! ing a vain at- 
tempt to escape. 

Those officers and men, who were immediately under my obser- 
vation, evinced the greatest gallantry ; and, I have no doubt but all 
others conducted? themselves as became American officers and sea- 
men. Lieut. Yarnell. L-tofibe Lawrence, although several times 
wounded, refused to quit the deck. Midshipman Forest, (doing du- 
ty as Lieutenant,) and sailing master Taylor, were of great assist- 
ance to me. 1 have great pain, in stating to you the death of Lieut. 
Bro k, of the marines, and Midshipman Laub, both of the Lawrence, 
and Midshipman John Clark, of the Scorpion; they were valuable 
and protnisins officers. Mr. Hamilton, Purser, who volunteered his 
services on deck, was severely wounded, late in the action. Mid- 
shipman Claxton, and Swartwout, of (he Lawrence, were severely 
wounded. On board of the Niagara, Lieutenants Smith and Ed- 
wards, and Midshipman Web>ter, (doing duty as sailing master,) 
behaved in a very handsome manner. Captain Brevoort, of the ar- 
my, who acted as a vo unteer, in the capacity of a marine officer, on 
board that vessel, is an excellent and brave officer; and, with his 
musketry, did great execution. Lieut. Turner, commanding the 
Caledonia, brought that vessel into action in the mo-t able manner, 
and is an officer, in all situations, thai may be relied on. 

The Ariel. I. ieut* Packet, and Scorpion, sailing master Champlin 
were enabled to get early into action, and were of great service. 
Captain Elliot speaks in the highest terms of Mr. Magraih, purser, 



118 

who had been dispatched in a boat, on service, previous, to my get- 
ting on board the Niagara ; and, being a seaman, since ihe action 
has rendered essential service in taking charge of one of the prizes. 
Of Captain Elliot, already so well known to the government, it 
would be almost superfluous to speak: — in this action, he evinced 
his characteristic bravery and judgement; and, since the close of 
the action, has given me the most able and essential assistance. 

I have the honor to enclose you a return of the killed and wound- 
ed, together with a statement of the relative force of the squadrons. 
The Captain and 1st Lieutenant of the Queen Charlotte, and 1st 
Lieut, of the Detroit, were killed. Captain Barclay, senior officer, 
and the commander of the Lady Prevost, severely wounded. The 
commander of the Hunter and Chippewa, slightly wounded. Their 
loss, in killed and wounded, I have not been able to ascertain ; it 
must, however have been very great. 

I have caused the prisoners, taken on the 10th inst. to be landed at 
Sandusky; and have requested Gen. Harrison to have them march- 
ed to Chillicothe, and there wait, until your pleasure shall be known 
respecting them. 

The Lawrence has been so entirely cut up. it is absolutely neces- 
sary she should go into a safe harb . ; I have, therefore, directed 
Lieut. Yarnell to proceed to Erie, in her, Avith the wounded of the 
fleet ; and dismantle, and get her over the bar, as soon as possible. 

The two ships, in a heavy sea, this day at anchor, lost their masts, 
being much injured in the action. I shall haul them into the inner 
bay, at this place, and moor them for the present. The Detroit is 
a remarkably fine ship; and is very strongly built ;-the Queen Char- 
lotte is a much superior vessel to what nas been represented; — the 
Lady Prevost is a large, fine schooner. 

1 also ben your instructions, respecting the wounded; I am satis- 
fied, sir, that whatever steps I might take, governed by humanity, 
would meet vour approbation ; — under this impression, I have taken 
upon myself to promise Capi. Barclay, who is very dangerously 
wounded, that be shall be landed as near Lake Ontario as possible; 
and, I had no doubt, you would allow me to parole him; be is under 
the impression, that nothing but leaving this part of the country will 
save his life. There is also a number of Canadians among the pri- 
soners — many who have families. 

I have the honor, &c. 
Hon. W. Jones, Sec. Navy. O. H. Perry. 

The Return above alluded to by Commodore Perry, admits the 
American loss to have been 27 killed, and 96 wounded — total 123. 

With the loss of our fleet vanished every hope of maintaining our 
positions against the enemy, who, already assembled in the neigh- 
borhood of Forts Sandusky and Meigs, to the number of ten thou- 
sand men, only awaited the result of the action to decide on their fu" 
ture movements. A vast number of boats had been collected for the 
purposeof transporting them acrossthe lake, under coverof theirsqua- 
dron, whose recent success leavingthem undisputed masters of that 
element, necessarily precluded all probability of effectual opposition. 



119 

A council was accordingly assembled, and the various chieftains sum- 
moned to attend. After a brief exposition ol the defenceless state of 
the garrison, the almost utter impossibility of preventing the landing 
of the enemy, and the alarming destitution into which the magazines 
of provision had fallen, General Procter proposed that the forts of 
Detroit and Amherstburg, together with the various public buildings, 
should be destroyed, and that the troops and Indians should retiie 
on the centre division at Niagara. This proposal was met by the 
chieftains with divided sentiments ; but Tecumseh, whose gallant 
and impetuous spirit could ill brook the idea of retiring before his ene 
mies, had no soon heard the conclusion, than he arose, and, in a 
speech of much length, and accompanied by powerful energy and 
gesticulation, protested against the infamy of abandoning the posi- 
tion without first using every exertion foi its defence. He addres- 
sed the commanding officer in the severest terms ; accused him of 
cowardice ; and after having compared his conduct with that of Cap- 
tain Barclay, whose noble defence had inspired him with an enthusi- 
asm surpassed only by the regret he entertained at his failure, con- 
cluded by declaring it to be his fixed determination to remain with 
his warriors and defend the place himself. 

"Father, — (he thundered, )listen to your children,You see them now 
all before you. The war before this, our British father, gave the hatch- 
et to his red children when our old chiefs were alive. Thev are now' 
all dead. In that war our father was thrown on his back by the 
Americans, and our father took them by the hand without our know- 
ledge, and we are afraid our father will do so again at this time. 

Summer before last, when I came forward with my red brethren 
and was ready to take up the hatchet in favor of our British father, 
we were told not to be in a hurry — that he had not yet determined 
to fight the Americans. 

Listen ! When war was declared, our father stood up and gave 
us the tomahawk, and told us lie was now ready to strike the 
Americans — that he wanted our assistance ; and he certainly would 
get us our lands back, which the Americans had taken from us. 

Listen ! You told us at the same time to bring forward our fami- 
lies to this place — we did so, and you promised to take care of them, 
and that they should want for nothing, while the men would go to 
fight the enemy — that we were not to trouble ourselves with the en- 
emy's garrisons — that we knew nothing about them, and that our fa- 
ther would attend to that part of the business. You also told your 
red children that you would take good care of your garrison here,which 
ma !e our hearts glad. 

Listen ! When we last went to the Rapids, it is true we gave you 
little assistance. It is hard to fight people who live like ground-hogs. 

Father — Listen! Our fleet has gone out; we know they have 
fought ; we have heard the great guns; but know nothirjg of what 



120 

has happened to our father with one arm. Our ships have gone ono 
way and we are much astonished to see our father tying up every 
thing and preparing to runaway the other, without letting his red 
children know what his intentions are. You always lold us to re- 
main here am! take care of our lands ; it m de our hearts gLd to hear 
that was your wish. Our gnat father, ihe king, is (he head, and 
you represent him. You always told us you would never diaw v< ur 
toot off British ground; but new. lather, we sec you are drawing 
back, and we are sorry to see our father doii g so wi h< ui seeing the 
enemy. We must compare our fnihei'a conduct to n fat animal, (hat 
carries its tail upon its Lack, but when affrighted, it drops it between 
its legs and runs off. 

Listen father! The Americans have not yet defeated us by land; 
neither are we sure that they have done so by water; we therefore 
wish to remain here, and ihht our enemy, should they make their 
appearance. If they defeat us we will then retica: with our father. 

At the battle of the RapiJs, last war, the Americans certainly de- 
feated us; aud when we retreated to our fathers fort at that jlacc, 
the <rales were shut against us. We were afraid that it would n^w 
be the case; but instead of that we now see our British father pre- 
paring to march out of his garrison. 

Father! You have got the arms and ammunition which curgrer.t 
father sent for his red children. If you have any idea of going away. 
irive them to us. and you may go in welcome, for us. Our i ves a;e 
in the hands of the Great Spirit. We are di trrmincd to defend our 
lauds, and if it is his will, we wish to leave our bones upon them.'"' 

No sooner had the last words of this startling speech died away upon 
his lips, than the various chieftains started up to a man, and brandish- 
ing their tomahawks in the most menacing manner, vociferated their 
approbation of his sentiments, The scene altogether was of the 
most imposing character. The council room was a large lofty build- 
ing, the vaulted roof of which echoed back the wild yell of the In- 
dians ; while the threatening attitude and diversified costume of these 
latter formed a striking contrast with the calm demeanour and mili- 
tary <rarbofthe officers grouped around the walls. The most promi- 
nent feature it) the picture, however, was Tecumseh. Habited in a 
close leather dress, his athletic proportions were admirably delineated, 
while a large plume of white ostrich feathers, by which he was gen- 
erally distinguished, overshadowing his brow, and contrasting with 
the darkness of his complexion and the brilliancy of his black and 
piercing eye, gave a singularly wild and terrific expression to his fea- 
tures. It was evident that he could be terrible. Tranquillity being 
at length restored. General Procter, through the n cdium of his inter- 
preters, entered into a more detailed account of the motives by which 
he was influenced, and finally succeeded in prevailing on the warrior 
*» awct to a second proposal, which was to retire on the Moravia* 



121 

village, distant nearly half way between Amherstburg and the out- 
posts of the centre division, and there await the approach of tfi« 
enemy. 

It having been resolved to move without loss of time, the troops 
were immediately employed in razing the fortifications, and commit- 
ting such stores as it was found impossible to remove 10 the flames, 
kindled in the various public buildings; and the ports of Detroit and 
Amherstburg lor some days previous to our departure presented a 
scene of cruel desolation. Atlength, the baggage waggons and boats 
having been sent in advance, the troops of the latter garrison com- 
menced their march early in the last week of September, and being 
joined by those of Detroit, proceeded up the mouth of the Thames, 
a river navigable for small craft, and separated from that of Detroit 
by the Lake St. Clair, into which it empties itself. Our movements 
were extremely dilatory; and although the bridge near Amherst- 
burgh, already described in the early part of this narrative, had been 
destroyed by our rear-guard, it was speedily repaired by the Ameri- 
can general who, on the third day after our departure from Amherst- 
burg, crossed the lake in boats; and hastening to overtake us with a 
corps of five thousand men, was within a few leagues at the moment 
we approached the position where it was originally intended the little 
army should intrench itself. 

The Moravian village, situated in a small plain, offered every fa- 
cility of defence, being bounded on one flank by a thick wood high- 
ly favorable to the operations of the Indians, and on the other, by 
the river Thames, while immediately in front, a deep ravine, cover- 
ed with brushwood, and commanded by our guns, presented an ob- 
stacle peculiarly unfavorable to the passage of c:\valry, of which, Ave 
were sufficiently informed, a large portion of the advancing columns 
consisted. Yet, notwithstanding the excellence of the position, 
from some singularly selfish motive, the project was entirely aban- 
doned. On the evening of the 4th, the enemy hadcaptured our boats 
and, with them, the guard by which they were accompanied. Lieut 
Holmes, of the Provincial Dragoons, an active and enterprising offi- 
cer, who, with a small detachment of men, was of great service to the ar- 
my during its retreat, also fell into the hands of the enemy on this 
day, having been taken while in the net of swimming his horse a- 
cross the Chatham river, on his return from destroying some bridges. 
On the. 5th, at one o'clock m the afternoon, we were within two miles 
of the Moravian village, but in defiance of that repeated experience 
which should have taught us the hopelessness of combating a con- 



1U2 

oealed enemy, the troops were ordered to defile into the heart of a 
wood, not very close it ia true, yet through the interstices of which 
it was impossible for the view to extend itself beyond a distance of 
twenty paces, much less to discover objects bearing so close a resem- 
blance to the bark and foliage of the trees and bushes as the costume 
of the Americans; whereas, on the contrary, the glaring red of the 
troops formed a point of relief on which the eye could not fail to dwell. 
In this position, we continued to remain during two hours, our left 
wing extending to the road, in which a solitary six pounder was posted, 
and the right flanked by the Indians to the number of 1,000 under 
Tecumseh, when the bugles of the enemy sounding at length to the 
attack, the engagement commenced. The result of an affair, against 
a body of such numerical superiority, and under such circumstances, 
may easily be anticipated. Closely pressed on every hand, and prin- 
cipally by a strong corps of mounted riflemen, the troops were finally- 
compelled to give way, and completely hemmed in by their assailants, 
had no other alternative than to lay down their arms — about fifty 
men onlv, with a single officer of the regiment, (Lieut. Bullock) 
contriving, when all was lost, to effect their escape through the wood. 
General Procter, mounted on an excellent charger, and accompanied 
by his personal staff, sought safety in flight at the very commence- 
ment of the action, and being pursued for some hours by a detachment 
of mounted Kentucky riflemen, was in imminent danger of falling 
into their hands. 

In this affair, I had an opportunity of witnessing the cruel dexter- 
ity and despatch with which the Indians use the tomahawk and 
scalping knife. A Kentucky rifleman, who had been dismounted 
within a few yards of the spot where I stood, — and the light com- 
pany, to which I was attached, touched the left flank of the Indians 
— was fired at by three warriors of the Delaware tribe. The unfor- 
tunate man received their several balls in his body, yet, although faint 
from loss of blood, he made every exertion to save himself. Never 
was fear so strongly depicted on the human countenance, and the 
man's hair (for he was uncovered) absolutely seemed to me to stand 
on end, as he attempted to double a large fallen tree, in order to 
elude the weapons of his enemies. The foremost of his pursuers 
was a tall powerful man — a chief whom I well knew, having, only a 
few days before we commenced our retreat, obtained from him a sad- 
dle in exchange for a regimental coat, purchased at the sale of the 
effects of Lieut. Sutherland, wounded at Maguagn. When within 



123 

twelve or fifteen paces of the rifleman, he raised and threw his tom- 
ahawk, and with such precision and force, that it immediately open* 
ed the skull, and extended him motionless on the earth. Laying 
down his rifle, he drew forth his knife, and after having removed the 
hatchet from the brain, proceeded to make a circular incision through- 
out the scalp. This done, he grasped the bloody instrument between 
his teeth, and placing his knees on the back of his victim, while at 
the same time he fastened his fingers in the hair, the scalp was torn 
off without much apparent difficulty and thrust, still bleeding, into his 
bosom. The warrior then arose, and after having wiped his knife 
on the clothes of the unhappy man, returned it to its sheath, grasp- 
ing at the same time the arms he had abandoned, and hastening to 
rejoin his comrades. All this Avas the work of a few minutes. 

While this brief scene was enacting, the main body of the enemy., 
who had by this lime succeeded in breaking through our centre, and 
had wheeled up, in order to take the Indians in flank, moved rapidly 
upon us in every direction; so that the resistance the light compa- 
ny had hitherto opposed, was now utterly hopeless of any successful 
result. Persuaded moreover, from the sudden cessation of the firing 
in that direction, that our centre and left, (for the wood intercepted 
them from our view) had been overcome, we, at the suggestion and 
command of Lieutenant Hailes, the only officer with us, prepared to 
make good our retreat, but, instead of going deeper into the wood as 
we purposed, we mistook our way, and found ourselves unexpectedly 
in the road; when on glancing to the right, we beheld, at a distance 
of about five hundred yards, the main body of our men disarmed — 
grouped together, and surrounded by American troops. On turning 
to the left, as we instinctively did. we saw a strong body of cavalry 
coming towards us, evidently returning from some short pursuit, and 
slowly walking their horses' At the head of these, and dressed like 
his men in Kentucky hunting frocks, was a stout elderly officer whom 
we subsequently knew to be Governor Shelby, and who, the moment 
he beheld us emerging from the wood, gallopped forward and bran- 
dishing his sword over his head, cried out with stentorian lungs "surren- 
der, surrender, it's no use resisting, all your people are taken, and yoo 
had better surrender." Theie was no alternative. The channel to 
escape had been closed by the horsemen in the wood, as well as those 
in the road, and a surrender was unavoidable. We accordingly 
moved down to join our captured comrades, as directed by Governor 
Shelby, yet I well recollect burying my musket in the mud, whick 



124 

was very deep, in order to avoid giving it up to the enemy. Perfectly 
also do I Tecollect the remark made by a tall Kentuckian as I passed 
by him to the group—" Well I guess now, you tarnation little British- 
er, who'd calculate to see such a bit of a chap as you here.' 1 But I 
heeded not the sneer of the Kentuckian. My eye had fallen and rest- 
ed upon a body of American Indians, about fifty in number, from 
some one of whose tomahawks, I apprehended the death blow — I had 
seen their weapons too often exercised (and indeed, as has been seen, 
only a few minutes before) to feel any thing like security. But my 
fear was without foundation As I watched them more narrowly, I 
found that their countenances wore an expression of concern, and 
that, so far from seeking to injure us, they seemed rather to regret 
our fate. Nor is this at all unlikely, as it was well known that the 
greatest portion of the warriors who had taken up the hatchet in fa- 
vor of the United States, had been induced to do so from compulsion 
alone. This little anecdote, otherwise too personal perhaps, affords 
another in support of the many striking evidences of the strong at- 
tachment of the Indians for the British. 

The most serious loss we sustained on this occasion was that of 
the noble and unfortunate Tecumseh. Only a lew minutes before 
the clang of the American bugles was heard ringing through the 
forest, and inspiriting to action, the haughty Chieftain had passed 
alonff our line, pleased with the manner in which his It ft was sup- 
ported, and seemingly sanguine of success. He was dressed in his 
usual deer skin dress, which admirably displayed his light yet sinewy- 
figure, and in his handkerchief, rolled as a turban over his brow, was 
placed a handsome white ostrich feather, which had been given to 
him by a near relation of the writer of this Narrative, and on Which he 
was ever fond of decorating himself, either for the Hall of Council 
or the battle field. He pressed the hand of each officer as he passed, 
made some remark in Shawanee, appropriate to the occasion, which 
was sufficiently understood by the expressive signs accompanying 
them, and then passed away for ever from our view. Towards the 
close of the engagement, he had been personally opposed to Colonel 
Johnson, commanding the American mounted riflemen, and having 
severely wounded that officer with a ball from his rifle, was in the 
aet of springing upon him with his tomahawk, when his adversary 
drew a pistol from his belt, and shot him dead on the spot. It has 
since been denied by the Americans that the hero met his death from 
the hand of Colonel Johnson. Such was the statement on the day 



196 

of the action, nor was it eyer contradicted at that period. There i* 
every reason to infer then that the merit, (if any merit could attach 
to the destruction of all that was noble and generous in savage liie) 
of having hilled Tecumseh, rests with ColonelJohnson. The merit 
of having tiaycd the body of the fallen brave, and made razor strops 
of his skin, rests with his immediate followers. This too has been 
denied, but denial is vain. On the night of the engagement when, 
seated around a fire kindled in the forest, partaking, on the very bat- 
tle ground, of the meat which General Harrison's aids de camp were 
considerately and hospitably toasting for us on long pointed sticks, 
or skewers, and which, half-famished as we were, we greedily ate 
without the accompaniment of either salt or bread, the painful sub- 
ject was discussed, and it is not less an eulogy to the memory of the 
high-minded Tecumseh, than a justice to that of General Harrison 
to add, that that officer was the first to deplore his death; while the 
sentiments he expressed, when the circumstance and manner of his 
fall were made known, were such as to reflect credit on himself 
both as a man, a christian, and a soldier. 

Doubts as to the fact of Tecumseh having fallen at all at the Mo- 
ravian town, have, in the same spirit of party which has denied to 
Colonel Johnson the act of having shot him, been entertained • and 
it has even been asserted that the mutilated remains winch were sup- 
posed to have heen his, were in reality those of another Chief 
Would for the honor of humanity it had been so: but this is incor- 
rect. Several of the officers of the 41st., on being apprized of his 
fall, went, accompanied by some of Genetal Harrison's Staff to visit 
the spot where Tecumseh lay, and there they identified (for thev 
knew well) in the mangled corpse before them, all that remained of 
the late powerful and intelligent Chieftain. Of the pain with which 
the sight was viewed, and the deep regret which his death was re- 
garded, no stronger evidence can be given than in the fact that there 
was scarcely an officer of the captured Division who, as he reposed 
his head upon the rude log, affording him the only pillow that night 
did not wholly lose sight of his own unfortunafe position in the more 
lively emotion produced by the untimely fate of the lamented and 
noble Indian. It has ever been a source of profound regret to me 
that I was not present at this inspection, for although the sight of the 
mutilated hero could not have failed to inflict upon my heart pain of 
the most poignant kind, it would have been at least a consolation to 
have seen the last of his remains on earth: and this not more from 



126 

the reverence and honor in which I had,and havener held the War- 
rior, than from the opportunity I should now possess of bearing at- 
testation to the fact and manner of his fall, from my own positive 
and personal observation. I was not, however, aware of the pur- 
posed visit until the party had returned, and made it the subject of 
conversation, in presence of General Harrison, as already stated. 
XSTor was there time afforded for remedying the unintentional omission. 

But the battle of the Moravian town(if indeed battle ii can becalled,) 
embracing as it does an important portion ot Canadian History, and 
involving the honor of the British arms, is not thus briefly to be dis- 
missed. The Right Division has been grossly vilified for its con" 
duct on the occasion, and that vilification stands on public record" 
The proud — the honorable — the gratifying task of refuting the un- 
merited aspersion has devolved on the young, and humble, and com- 
paratively unnoticed volunteer, who had the advantage of tracking 
it throughout its whole course of unceasing service, and whose lot it 
seems to have been nursed in the regiment, chiefly to become, at 
this distant day, the impartial chronicler of its deeds, and the vindi- 
cator of in unjustly sullied name. 

First on the list of calumny stands the general order issued by Sir 
George Prevost — a commander whose marked imbecility and want 
ot resolution, on more than one occasion, (reflecting the deepest dis- 
grace on the British arms) had doubtless been ordained as a fitting 
punishment for his arrogant censure of the conduct of a corps, whose 
general excellence he was incompetent to appreciate, and whose on- 
ly positive crime was that of its weakness, its physical disorganiza- 
tion, and its utter destitution. Here is the insulting and most uncal- 
led for document, and who, on perusing it, after having traced the 
regiment through its previous course of glory, will fail to entertain 
a sentiment of deep indignation at its injustice. 

General Order, Head Quarters, Montreal— Nov. 24th 1813. 

His Excellency the Commander of the Forces has received an 
Official report from Major General Procter of the affair which took 
place on the 5th of October, rtear the Moravian village, and he has 
in vain sought in it, for ground* to palliate the report made to His 
Excellency by Staff Adjutant Reiffenstein, upon which the General 
Order of the 18th October wns founded — on the contrary, that state- 
ment remains confirmed in all the principal events which mamed 
that disgraceful day ; the precipitancy with which the Staff Adjutant 
retreated from tue field of action, prevented his ascertaining the loss 
sustained by the division on that occasion; it also led him most 
grossly to exaggerate the enemy's force, and to misrepresent the 



127 

conduct of the Indian Warriors who instead of retreating towards 
Machedash, as he had stated, gallantly maintained the conflict, un- 
der their brave Chief Tecumseh, and in turn harrassed the American 
Army on its letreat to Detroit. 

The subjoined return states the loss the right division has sus- 
tained in the action of the fleet on Lake Erie on the 10th Sept. and 
in the affair of the 5th of October near the Moravian village, in the 
latter but very few appear to have been rescued by an honorable 
death, from the ignominy of passing under the American yoke, nor 
ate there many whose wounds plead in mitigation of this reproach. 
The right division appears to have been encumbered with an un- 
manageable load ol unnecessary, and forbidden private baggage — 
while the requisite arrangements for the expedition, and certain con- 
veyance of the ammunition, and provisions, sole objects worthy ol 
consideration, appear to have been totally neglected, as well as all 
those ordinary measures resorted to, by officers of intelligence, to 
retard and impede the advance of a pursuing enemy. The result 
affords but too fatal a proof of this unjustifiable neglect. The right 
division had quitted Sandwich on its retreat, on the 26th September, 
having had ample time, for every previous arrangement, to faciliate 
and secure thatmovement: on the 2nd October lollowing, the ene- 
my pursued by the same route, and on the 4th succeeded in capturing 
all ihe stores of the division, and on the following day, attacked and 
defeated it almost without a struggle. 

With heart-felt pride and satisfaction the Commander of the For- 
ces had lavished on ihe Right Division of this Army, that tribute of 
praise which was so justly due to its former gallantry, and steady 
discipline. It is with poignant grief and mortification that he now 
beholds its well earned laurels tarnished, and its conduct calling 
loudly for reproach and censure. 

The Commander of the Forces appeals to the genuine feelings of 
the British soldier from whom he neither conceals the extent of the 
loss the Army has suffered, nor the far more to be lamented injury 
it has sustained, in its wounded honor, confident, that but one senti- 
ment will animate every breast, and that ze-alous to wash out the 
stain, which by a most extraordinary infatuation, has fallen on a 
formerly deserving portion of the Army, all will vie to emulate the 
glorious achievements recently performed, by a small but highly 
spirited and well disciplined division, led by' Officers possessed of 
enterprize, intelligence, and gallantry, nobly evincing, what British 
soldiers, can perform, when susceptible of no fear, but that of failing 
in the discharge of their duty. 

His Excellency considers it an act of justice, to exonerate most 
honorably from this censure the brave soldiers of the right division 
who were serving as marines on board the squadron on Lake Erie. 
The Commander of the Forces having received the Official Repoit 
of Capt. Barclay of the action which took place on lake Erie on the 
10th September, when that gallant Officer, from circumstances of 
imperious necessity, was compelled to seek the superior force of 
the enemy, and to maintain an arduous and long contested action 
under circumstances of accumulating ill fortune. 

Captain Barclay represents, that the wind, which was favorable 
early in the day, suddenly changed, giving the enemy the weather-gage, 
and that this important advantage^was, shortly after the commence- 



123 

ment of the engagement, heightened by the fall ot Captain Finnis, 
the commander of the Queen Charlotte. In the death of that intre- 
pid and intelligent officer, Captain Barclay laments the loss of his 
main support. The fall of Captain Pitta is was soon followed by 
that of Lieut. Stokoe, whose country was deprived of his services at 
this very critical period of the action, leaving the command of the 
Queen Charlotte to Provincial Lieutenant Irvine, who conducted 
himself with great courage, but was too limited in experience, to 
supply the place of such an officer as Cnpt. Finnis. and in conse- 
quence thfe vessel proved of iar less assistance than might be, ex- 
pected. 

The action commenced about a quarter before 12 o'clock, and con- 
tinued with great fury until half past 2, Yvivn the American Com- 
modore quitted his ship, which struck shortly after, to (hat com- 
manded by Capt. Barclay (the Detroit.) Hitherto the determined va- 
lor displayed by the British Squadron, had surmounted every dis- 
advantage, and the day was in our favor ; but the contest had ar- 
rived at that period when val&r alone was unvaiiing — the Detroit 
and Queen Charlotte were perfect wrecks, and required the utmost 
skill of seamanship, while the Commanders and second officers, 
of every vessel were either killed or wounded: not more than fi.'ty 
British seamen were dispersed in the crews of the squadron, and 
of these a creat proportion had fallen in the conflict. 

The American Commodore made a gallant, and but too success- 
ful an effort to regain the day. His second largest vessel, the Nia- 
gara, had suffered little, and his numerous gun boats which had 
proved the greatest source of annoyance during the action, were all 
uninjured. 

Lieutenant Garland, First Lieutenant of the Detroit, being mor- 
tally wounded, previous to the wounds of Captain Barclay obliging 
him to quit the dec':, it fell to the lot of Lieutenant Inglis, to whose 
intrepidity and conduct the highest praise is given, to surrender 
His Majesty's Ship, when all further resistance had become un- 
availing. 

The enemy, by having the weather gage, were enabled to choose 
their distance and thereby avail themselves of the great advantage 
they derived in a superiority of heavy long guns, but Captain Bar- 
clay attributes the result of the day, to the unprecedented fail of 
every Commander, and second in Command, and the very small 
number of able seamen left in the squadron, at a moment when 
the judgement of the officer, and skilful exertions of the sailors, were 
mo-t imminently called for. 

To the British seamen, Captain Barclay bestows the highest 
praise — that they beJiaved like British seamen. From the officers 
and soldiers of the regular forces serving as marines, Captain Bar- 
clay experienced every support within their power* and states that 
their conduct has excited his warmest thanks and admiration. 

Deprived of the palm of victory, when almost within his grasp, by 
an overwhelming force which the enemy possessed in reserve, aid- 
ed by an accumulation of unfortunate circumstances, Captain Bar- 
and his brave crew have, by their gallant daring, and self devotion 
to their country's cause, rescued its honor and their own, even in 
defeat. 



199 

Return of the Right Division of the Array oi Upper Canada : 

Detachment serving as marines on board the squadron in action 
qn 10th September 1813. 

Killed 1 lieutenant, 1 sergeant, 21 rank and file ; 
• Wounded — 3 sergeants, 49 rank and file ; 

Prisoners — 2 lieutenants, 1 asst. surgeon, 4 drummers 167 rank 
and file. 

Killed, wounded, and missing in the retreat and in the action of 
the 5th October 1813. 

1 Inspecting field officer, 1 dep. asst. qr. master general, 1 fort 
adjutant, 1 hospital mate J lieutenant col. 6 captains, 12 lieutenants 
3 ensigns, 1 paymaster 1 asst. surgeon, 51 sergeants, 13 drummeis 
559 rank and file, 4b' horses. 

Assembled at Ancaster on the 17th Oct., 1S13. 

1 Major general, 1 major of brigade, 1 aid-de-camp, 1 staff adju- 
tant, 3 captains, 5 lieutenants, 2 ensigns, 1 adjutant, 1 quarter master, 
2 asst. surgeon, 15 sergeants. 9 drummers, 204 rank and file, 53 
horses. 

Total strength of the Right Division on the 10th September 1813. 

1 Major general, 1 inspecting field officer, 1 major of brigade, 1 dep. 
asst. q. m. gen, 1 aid-de-camp, 1 staff adjutant, 1 tort adjutant, 1 hos- 
pital mate, I lieutenant colonel, 9 captains, 20 lieutenants 5 ensigns, 
1 paymaster, 1 adjutant, 1 quarter master, 4 assistant surgeons, 57 
sergeants, 26 drummers, 991 rank and file, 99 horses, 

Killed — Lieutenant Garden, Royal Newfoundland Regt. 

Edward Baynes, 

Adjutant General. 

Well timed indeed, and with a befitting grace does the insulting 
censure, contained in the opening of the above order.eraanate from the 
man who had previously made a descent upon Sackett's Harbor, with 
a view of destroying the enemy's naval and military works, and who 
at the vqry moment of accomplishment of the object of the expedi- 
tion, and when the Americans were retreating, turned and fled with 
precipitation to his boats, presenting to the tt\op,s who were^ unwil- 
ling sharers in his disgrace, the monstrous yet ludicrous anomaly 
of two hostile armies fleeing from each other at the same time. Well 
does it become the leader who, at Plattsburg, covered the British 
army with shame, and himself with enduring infamy, by retiring at 
the head of 15,000 men — chiefly the flower of the Duke of Welling- 
ton's army — befote a force of Americans not exeeiediog as many hun- 
dreds; and this even at the moment when the commander of these 
latter was preparing to surrender his trust without a struggle. Well 
djes it proceed from him, who through timidity and vacillation alone, 
at an earlier period of the war, entered into a disgraceful armistice 
with the enemy at the very moment when General Brock was pre- 
paring to follow up his successes on the Western frontier, by sweep- 
ing the whole southern border of the Si. Lawrence. Hnppily was it 



130 

deyised by the authority to whose culpable inattention and neglect 
»lone was owing the loss of the gallant Barclay's fleet, and the con- 
sequent helplessness of that very Right Division he has hesitated 
not to condemn for a disaster attributable to himself alone. Nay, well 
,and most consistently does the sting issue from the Commander of 
the Forces, who, on the occasion of the capture of Detroit, and the 
victory obtained at the River Raisin, ordered Royal salutes to be 
fired in honor of conquests which had been achieved principally by 
the 41st Regiment, and whose remarks, even on the occasion of their 
unavoidable repulse at Sandusky, convey rather a compliment than 
.dispraise. 

That Sk^George Prevost had been induced to issue this order, on 
the gross mis-representation of General Procter, who, in order to 
shield himself from the consequences of his incapacity, scrupled not 
to sacrifice the reputation of the regiment, which had so often re- 
paired, by their valor, what his marked inefficiency had endangered, 
.there can be no question. It is only necessary to refer to an earlier 
memorandum on the subject to be fully satisfied of the fact. But this 
does not the more exonerate Sir George, whose duty it was, before 
publishing a document, the tendency of which was to cast odium on 
a corps which he himself admits to have previously won his warm- 
est admiration, to possess himself of the true facts of the action ; nor, 
by any exercise of undue severity, to have provoked commentaries on 
his own conduct of a far more humiliating character. But posterity 
will judge of the Right Division, not by the sweeping and unfound- 
ed denunciations of an angry and misjudging Governor, but by its 
.universally admitted gallantry on all former occasions. 

Who on looking over the state of the 41st Regiment, which osten- 
tatiously appears at the close of the General Order, would not infer 
,|hat, in the action of the Moravian town, they mustered at least 1,000 
men including non-commissioned officers? Even General Harrison, 
in his most voluminous despatch, enumerates the prisoners laken by 
him in such a way as to create the impression that his (admitted) 
force of 3,000 men had been opposed by 600 British regulars, present 
in action. This is not worthy of General Harrison, who must have 
known that our actual force in the field, was, according to the state 
of the Adjutant of the Regiment— the original of which is before me 
at this moment — 1 Lieut. Colonel, 6 Captains, 9 Lieuts., 3 Ensigns, 
3 Staff, 26 Serjeants, 81 Corporals, 4 Drummers, and 297 Rank and 
tie — and these divided into two open, and irregular l'nes. The re- 



131 

mainder of the 600, captured by General Harrison, many ot them 
sick and wounded men, had been taken, without a possibility of op- 
position, in the boats conveying stores, during the early morning of 
the action, and on the preceding day. Yet the American General' 
seriously claims the palm of "superior bravery" for his force of 3,00f> 
men, opposed in their native woods (wherein he himself admits in 
his despatch they "can ride better than any other people'') to not as- 
many hundreds, and these almost wholly unaccustomed to them. If 
is impossible to entertain a feeling of disrespect for General Harrison, 
but there is something so absurd in this remark, that the reader can- 
not forbear a smile. Nor can it be pretended that the Indians are to be 
consideied as having formed any portion of our force during the first 
advance of the enemy, for General Harrison has distinctly stated that- 
he formed his assailing columns in such manner as to direct them 
wholly upon the 41st., leaving the Indians unmolested, until he 
should be enabled to break through our feeble and extended line, aftd* 
then turn their position. This plan was acted uponj What then 
was there in this defeat to justify Sir George Prevost, in the sweep-r 
ing and splenetic denunciation cast upon a corps who had done so 
much for the country, and had only now been overcome through the 
incompetency of their Chief? But let us turn to General Procter, 

That officer has stated in his specious defence before the Court 
Martial which tried him for general misconduct in the retreat, that 
he had drawn up his men in a position the most favorable for a suc- 
cessful stand against the enemy's cavalry, and that he had expected 
a result which the want of firmness manifested by the regiment alone' 
bad denied to him. Who will second General Procter in this view 
of the subject? Who, with him, will aver that the proper place for 
British troops to engage an enemy is the woods, and that he was jus* 
tified in the selection, when ? not two miles in his rear, were numer- 
merous houses in which to throw his men, a wood on his right flank,- 
and the river on his left, while immediately in front ran a ravine dif- 
ficult of access by cavalry, and capable of being swept by his guns 
which, singularly enough, had already been stationed there without 
the slightest use or service in the battle planned by him to be waged.. 
On what does General Procter ground his claim to be considered a* 
competent to decide upon the success which ought to attend his mili* 
tary movements ? Is it on his dispositions at the River Raisin where,. 
instead of attacking an unprepared enemy sword in hand, he absurd- 
ly and uaaceountably apprized them of their danger, giving then? 



132 

ample opportunity to arm and cripple his own force, in 6uch a- man- 
ner as to render victory for a period doubtful? Is it on his ariange- 
ments at the Miami, where he sufieredjin important line of batteries 
to be left without ihe support of even a single company? Is it on 
his attack upon Sandusky, where he ordered his men to storm before 
any breach r.ad bie_: effected, without a fascine or scaling ladder, and 
with axes so blunt that he might have been suspected of treason in 
suffering them to be placed in the hands of the unfortunate men who 
perished while fruitlessly wielding them? Yet this man, whose 
brows the 41st Regiment covered in these several instances with glo- 
ry, when they rather should have been bowed to the earth in shame, 
turns upon his gallant supporters in the moment of their misfortune, 
and, in his base attempt to redeem his own blighted military reputa- 
tion, scruples not to charge them with misconduct in the field. Where 
was this misconduct ? In what did it consist? It has been seen 
that 3,000 men 1,500 of whom were mounted riflemen, dashed through 
the front line composed ol something less than 200 men, receiving 
the only two vollies there was time to pour in before they had com- 
pletely surrounded them — Was it possible to make a more lengthened 
defence against an enemy who thus overwhelmed them en masse? 
The true matter for surprise is. not that the force yielded so soon, 
but thatith-.d ever made a stand at all; for the strong conviction en the 
mind ol every officer and man present, was that General Procter 
was making a wanton sacrifice of their lives, for the sole purpose of 
covering the departure of his family and personal effects from the 
. Moravian town ; and that it was for this reason also that he had drawn 
them up in the heart of a wood, in preference to occupying a position 
which all had been previously informed was susceptible of the best 
defence against the expected cavalry. 

I have said that only two vollies were fired by the men, before they 
were overwhelmed by the American force. This was I believe the 
case on the centre and left, upon which the main attack of the ene- 
my was directed. On the right, and near Tecumseh's flank, where 
the horsemen opposed to us were less numerous, the action was of 
at least twenty minutes' duration, and in this time much desultory firing 
took place. The instance I have already given of the shooting, 
tomahawking, and scalping of an American rifleman who had been 
dismounted in the action, is an evidence that the engagement was 
not so speedily brought to a close as General Procter sought to make 
it appear. But I will relate another fact in corroboration. Only a few 



133 

minutes before this scene was enacted before our eyes, a mounted 
rifleman was in the act of taking- aim nt one of the light company, 
who was moving quickly at the time and whom therelore he could 
not conveniently cover. My attention was called to this man by Lieut. 
Hailes, (since commanding the 2Sih regiment) who was near me 
at the time, and who suggested that I should fire at him, I raised my 
musket, supporting it against a tree, and before the American, who 
was still following his object with his eye and weapon, could find 
what he deemed a favorable moment for discharging it, I firt d, when 
his rifle tumbled from his shoulder to the ground, and he sank over 
his horse's side. 

Now if, as General Procter states, the line "had discharged their 
pieces without orders, had given way, and had dispersed in a man- 
ner to preclude all hope of their being again formed," there could have 
been no time for these two deliberate actions. When a few minutes 
afterwards, we, from a consciousness of having been cut off from our 
main body, attempted a retreat, we were not so sorely pressed as to 
have tailed in our object, had we taken the proper direction. We had 
continued firing to the close, and it was only on emerging from the 
wood into the road, and beholding our captured comrades, that we 
found resistance to be hopeless. Including Lieut. Hailes we were 
then about twenty in number. 

I have already stale.; ihat General Procter was without the confi. 
denceof his army. This is strictly correct. So far from their having 
the slightest knowledge of the object of his movements, or of his in- 
tentions, not even his second in command was consulted on any one 
occasion during the retreat. As for the expression of surprise, contain- 
ed in the defence, that Dover had not been fortified it is perfectly ridi- 
culous. Independently of rts peculiar unfitness for that purpose, no 
such instructions had ever been left with Colonel Warburton, who, 
when repeatedly asked by the officers of the Division what was pur- 
posed to be done, or to what tended General Procter's unaccountable 
conduct, could only shrug his shoulders, and in a manner indicative 
of mingled mortification and contempt, reply that they knew as much 
of the matter as he did. How, indeed, and under what direction was 
Dover to be fortified, when, as General Procter himself admits, he 
had taken with him to the Moravian town the only officer of En- 
gineers (Captain Dixon) who was attached to the Division? 

Such was the general feeling of distrust, produced by General 
Procter's continued absence from, and in advance of the army, at a 
moment when the enemy were known to be near us, and when the 



134 

second in command was left wholly in the dark, as to the course it 
was expected of him to pursue, that seiious intentions were formed 
of depriving that officer of his authority, and investing Colonel 
Warburton with it. This indeed was only not done, because it was 
assumed that any disaster which might, in consequence of the extra- 
ordinary delay and want of military capacity hitherto manifested in 
its conduct, occur to the Division, would be gladly seized hold 
of by the General, with a view to exonerate himself from the heavy 
responsibility he was already so fearfully incurring Of the senti- 
ments entertained by all, a tolerable correct estimate may be formed 
from the following memoranda at the time by an officerof the regiment. 

"3d Oct., Dolson's. A report of the Americans being within two 
or three miles of us. Our dragoons fell in with their advanced guard. 
The General at Moravian town 26 miles from Dolsons. or Dover. 
Marched from this place 2| miles; halted and formed on the bank of 
the river in expectation of the enemy eveiy instant. Marched a few 
miles further and halted for the night. Col. Warburton did not ap- 
pear to know how to act, the General not having left any directions, 
but he decided on falling in with the wishes of the Indians. 

4th Oct. This morning the Indians thought it advisable to pro- 
ceed at once to Moravian town. We accordingly marched: at dusk 
the rearguard halted at Richardson's; the remainder proceeded about 
a mile farther, within rive miles of Moravian town. 

5th Oct. This day we proceeded towards Moravian town, and 
when within a mile and a half of it, were halted and marched back 
a few paces, when we hailed a second time: no person appeared to 
have any idea of what was going to be done. A report came in of the 
Americans being within a very short distance of us,and that they had 
taken all our boats, in which was most of our baggage and the whole 
of the ammunition, except what the men had in their pouches. Af- 
ter having halted for nearly an hour, we were suddenly ordered to 
form in the midst of a very thick wood apparently without any pre- 
vious arrangement and in such a manner that the grenadiers were 
nearly in the centre of the line, and the light company towards the 
right — a second order came for the grenadiers and No. 1 company 
to march to the rear as a reserve, which was done. The men Avere 
formed at extended order, and the enemy, it was said, were strong in 
cavalry and mounted riflemen. N. B. No brr h wood to prevent the 
cavalry acting. About four o'clock the enemy attacked us, and suc- 
ceeded in driving us from our ground. The company I commanded 
had not received their provisions for the two last days, until the very 
moment before we received the order to march: the consequence was 
that those men who had time to do so, cut off a slice of the raw beef 
and ate it uncooked. The rest had none at all, 

Mem. — While at Dolson's was told by G e that a council of war 

was going to assemble immediately, in order to decide whether or' 
not the command should be taken from the G. The day before the 
action Captain Muir remarked to me that the G. ought to be hanged 
for being away s and that Col. W. oucht to be hanged for not assu- 
ming the command. A few moments before the action Captain D* 
said it was downright murder if we attempted to make a stand where 



135 

we were — Colonel Elliott told me that the day the G. went to the 
Moravian town, the Prophet (Tecumselrs brother) asked him Col. 
Elliott where the G. was going, and on being informed remarked 
that he had a great mind to take the epaulettes off his shoulders, for 
he was nut worthy to wear them." 

General Procter furthermore asserts in his defence, that his origi- 
nal intention was to fortify a position on the Thames, for the two- 
fold purpose of protecting the centre Division, and conciliating the 
Indians. I am not prepared, at this distant day, to slate with exact- 
ness what was the original proposal made to the Indians in the cele- 
brated council, but my strong impression has ever been (and I was 
present during the whole of the debate) that it was only 
in consequence of the deep and unconcealed indignation, manifested 
by Tecumseh and many of the inferior Chiefs, on his intimating the 
necessity which existed for a retreat upon the centre Division, that 
he was compelled to yield to the will ol the Indians, and to name the 
Moravian town as the understood termination of his proposed march. 
Even this proposal was received by Tecumseh with mingled regret 
and disdain, for he was desirous of meeting the Americans at the 
moment of their landing, and trying the chances of battle before in- 
curring the odium of a retreat; but on the inexpediency of defending 
a fortress which had been wholly deprived of its heavy guns for the 
purpose of arming the fleet, being farther discussed and pointed out 
to him, he finally assented, and in a second short Speech, which does 
not appear to have been placed on record, consented to retire as fat 
as the Moravian town, declaring however, at the same time, that 
at that place he was fully determined to conquer or lay down his life* 
Had the retreat been commenced from that moment, and the Mora- 
vian town fortified, as it ought to have been, no matter how imper- 
fectly, none of the subsequent disasters would have occurred. It is 
insincere in General Procter to state that his march was delayed in 
order to afford the Indians time to remove their effects, and cross the 
Detroit river. Those who understand the manners and active habits 
of the red-men of the forest must be aware that twenty four hours 
were quite sufficient with them for any purpose of the sort; neither 
is there less absurdity in the assertion that it was necessary to linger 
on the road, in order to enable them to overtake us. The Indians 
could march, in a single day, more than we did in five, and even if 
they had not overtaken us, it was our object to be in position to cover 
them, if pursued by the enemy, and to be enabled to oppose to these 
latter something like a respectable attitude of defence. All this might 
and should, have been done, and on whom can the onus of neglect 
fall, if not on General Procter? 



136 

There arc yet two points in the defence to which it is essential to 
advert. General Procter very gravely complains that the gun placed 
in the road, on the left of the line, in the affair of the Moravian town, 
and on which lie so much depended, had been deserted (: without an 
effort." What will be thought of the general conduct of the retreat, 
when it is known that there was not a single round of ammunition 
for the gun, it having by some unfortunate accident been left behind, 
on resuming our marcn in the morning! It is true General Procter 
cannot be held individually responsible for this omission, but had the 
only officer of artillery, attached to the Division, been where he ought 
to have been — in the action — instead of posting himself, by the direc- 
tion of his Chief, with the reserve guns at the Moravian town, his 
sagacity and forethought would have prevented this difficulty. That 
there was fault with those who had immediate charge of the field- 
piece there can be no question, but it is unjust to the last degree that 
such fault should be visited by a general condemnation of the conduct 
of the troops engaged. Yet even had the gun been supplied with 
ammunition, the result must have been nearly the same. One dis- 
charge might have temporarily checked the advance of the enemy 
upon the road, but as this was open only a few hundred yards in front, 
the range commanded was necessarily so limited, that the American 
cavalry might have dashed in upon it, before the Artilleiy men could 
have time to load and fire again ; moreover, there was the certainty 
of its being turned through the wood. General Procter alludes to 
twenty Provincial Dragoons of Lieut. Holmes' command (that officer 
then, it has bren seen, a prisoner with the enemy) as having been 
posted by him in support of the gun, and confesses disappointment 
that they had not maintained their trust. What could be expected 
from so mere a handful of men against the masses that were opposed 
to them? And how absurd to suppose that they could have offered 
the slightest resistance. 

Again, General Procter adverts to an attempt made by him to ral- 
ly the broken line, and in a manner to show that his prosecutor:, had 
admitted such attampt, although they denied its efficacy. How this 
admission (if made) was wrung from them, it is difficult to understand, 
unless that it had been made inadvertently. General Procter had 
stationed himself in rear of the second line, and he made no attempt, 
of any one period of the brief action, to pass it. When the first line 
retreated upon the second, and the Litter opened its fire upon the ad- 
vancing cavalry, he fled precipitately, accompanied Dy the whole of 
his personal staff, leaving the Division to maintain the unequal con- 
in the best manner they could. This has been asserted by an offi- 
cer who was near him during the whole of the affair. 



137 

Of the impression created by the cruel and ungenerous order, is- 
sued hy Sir George Prevolt on this occasion, a tolerable estimate may 
be formed from the following communication, addressed to Lieut, 
Bullock by Major Friend, then in command of ihe 2d Battalion of 
the regiment. In Ihe reply will be found so full an explanation that 
beyond it, it will not be necessary to pursue ihe subject. 

ton Heights, 30th Nov., 1S13. 

Sir, — T request you will, with as little delay as ihe nature of the 
report will admit, furnish trie with every circumstance within your 
knowledge, and that you ma- ird from* undoubted authority, 

relative to the late unforti n a tr affair that took place between Geneial 
Harrison's an: -. 1 i Battalion 41st Regiment, at Moravian 

town on the 5th of October lasr, for the purpose of transmitting it to 
Lieut. Gen. Champagne. As you are the senior and only officer of 
the regiment who lias escaped from the held, that was in the ranks, it 
is highly incumbent on you to state nfrost minutely the nature of the 
ground on which the regiment were formed for action, the manner 
in which it was formed, the number then of the regiment actually in 
the field, the number of the enemy opposed to yon, and of what they 
consisted, and what resistance was made by the regiment previous 
to its defect — if it had received provisions regularly, was complete 
in ammunition, and could have got supplies when required, and in 
short every circumstance that happened from the commencement of 
the retre t from Amherslburg relative to the regiment. You cannot 
be too part ic i Iar in your slaterri< n't, as 1 am sorry to say there are re- 
ports afloat disgraceful in the extreme to the regiment, and every in- 
dividual with it that day. I think it but proper to inform you that I 
saw M.ijor General Procter's cfficml report Which highly censures the 
conduct of the regiment, and in which he says, that he never went 
into action more confident of success. 

I have the honor to be, &c, 

Your very obed't. humble serv't. 

Richard Friend, 
Major Commg. 41st Regt. 
Lieut. Bullock, 

41st Regiment. 



Cress Roads. Barton Heights, 
6th Dec, 1813. 
Sir, — The following report is made, in compliance with your orders 
to me in a letter dated 30th Nov. last, in which you request I would 
furnish you with every circumstance within my knowledge, and what 
I may have heard from undoubted authority, relative to the late un- 
foitunate affair which took place between the American army under 
Gen. Hatrison, and the 1st Bat. 41st Regt. neai Moravian town, on 
the 5th October last, the nature of the ground on which it was form- 
ed, the number of me.i of the Regt; actually in the field, the number 
of the enemy in the field opposed to it, of what they consisted, and 
what resistance vers made by the regiment, previous to its defeat; 
if it had received provisions regularly was complete in ammunition, 
and could have ?oi supplies when required, and in short every cir- 



135 



mmmmm 

The force under Major Gen. Procter consisting of the 1st Ra* 
mile, of «, and we reared itle'; S^'col wl & 



139 

vance being at n housw called Shearman's, one mile from where the rear 
guard had halted. At day break next morning (the 5th) the rear 
guard and grenadier company moved to Shearman's, where the whole 
regiment collected. At this place, after having halted some time, a 
few head of cattle were shot, but before the meat could be divided 
the enemy were reported to be close at hand, and we were ordered to 
march. We proceeded to Moravian town, and when within \\ mile 
of it, were ordered to halt. Alter halting about 5 minutes we were 
ordered to face to the light about, and advanced towards the enemy 
in files, at which the men were in great spirits. Having advanced 
about 50 or oO paces we were halted a second time, at which the 
men appeared dissatisfied, and overhearing some of those nearest to 
me express themselves to the following effect "that they were ready 
and willing to fight lor their knapsacks: wished to meet the enemy, 
but did not like to be knocked about in that manner, doing neither one 
thing nor the other," I immediately checked them, and they were 
silent — About this lime several of the regimentcame up without arms 
or accoutrements, who had escaped from boats cut off by the ene- 
my's cavalry From these men we learnt that the enemy was with- 
in a mile of us, and had a large force of cavalry. We had halted 
about half an hour, when the Indian alarm was given chat the ene- 
my was advancing: most of our men were sitting on the logs and 
fallen trees by the side of the road. On the alarm being given we 
were suddenly ordered to form across the road. From the sudden- 
ness of the order, apparently without any previous arrangement, the 
manner in which we were situated wlun it was given, the way in 
which it was given, which was ; 'form up across the road," and from 
the nature of the ground, the formation was made in the greatest con- 
fusion; so much so, that the Grenadier company was nearly in the 
centre of the line and the Light company on the right. A second 
order, as sudden as the first, was given for the Grenadiers and No. 1 
tomarchtotherearand fcrm areseive. The GienadiersandpnrtofCapt. 
Muir's company accordingly formed a second line,ahout 2C0 yards in 
rear of the first, under command of Lieut. Col. Warburton; the left 
of it about 8 or 10 yirds to the left of the road, and extending to the 
right into the woods, formed at extended oider, the men placing them- 
selves behind trees, and consequently much separated. The 1st line 
I could not distinguish, but from what I have been informed by Lt. 
Gardiner 41st Regt., commanding a six pounder, it was formed in the 
followins manner — a six-pounder was placed in the road, having a 
range of 50 yards, the 41st Regt. drawn up on its right, extending in 
the wood ; on each side of the limber of the 6-pounder were some of 
the Canadian Light Dragoons. From the men of the regimpnt, who 
escaped from that line, I understand they were not formed at regular 
extended order, but in clusters and in confusion. To the left of the 
road in which the H-pounder was placed, and parallel to it, ran the 
River Thames. To the right and left of the road was a remarkable 
thick forest, and on the right, where we were formed, free from brush- 
wood for several hundred yards, and where cavalry could net to ad- 
vantage — My position at this time, (being on the right of the 2nd line) 
and the thickness ot the forest precluded me from noticing the man- 
ner in which the enemy attacked the 1st line. The attack com- 
menced about two hours after the order was given to form up across 



140 

the road. I heard a heavy firing of musquetry, and shortly after saw 
©ur dragoons retreating together with the limber of the 6-pounder — 
placed on the left of the 1st line. About a minute afterwards I ob- 
served that line retreating in confusion, followed closely by the ene- 
my's cavalry, who were galloping down the rend. That portion of 
the 1st line which had escaped the enemy's cavalry, retreated b < hind 
the 2d line, which stood fast, and fired an irregular volley obliquing 
to the right and let?, whirl) appeared to cl cck the enemy The line 
having commenced firing, my attention v as directed to thai part of 
the enemy moving down directly in my front. iliarirgthe (ire slack- 
en, I turned towards the line and food myself remaining with 3 non- 
commissioned officers ol the Grenadier company- T he enemy's ca- 
valry had advance! so close, before the reserve could commence fir 
injr, from the number of trees, that before a third round could be fired 
they broke through the lefi, and the rest not bein? formed in a man* 
ner to repel cavalry, were cr mpelled to retreat. The number of the 
regiment actually in the field were 1 li'-ul. co!., G captains, 9 lieuten- 
ants, 3 ensigns, 3 staff, 26 sergeants, IS corporals, 4 drummers, 297 
rank and file. In What manner the rest cf the regiment was dis- 
tributed yotr will be made acquainted with by the enclosed state 5 i<rn- 
ed by the Adjutant of the regiment. The number of Indians we had 
in the field was S00. The number of i he enemy 1 cannot positively 
affirm, but from the information obtained from individuals of the 
regiment taken prisoners on that day, and who afterwards escaped, 
the number could not have been l<ss than 6.000, of which 1 200 or 
1,500 were cavalry and mounted riflemen The number of our dra- 
goons did not exceed 20. Our loss on this occasion was 3 si rpeants, 
arid 9 rank and file killed, and 36 wounded, that of the em my )5 kil- 
led, and from 40 to 50 wounded. Having been thus far particular in 
stating every thins: to which I was an eye witness, and v. Inch has 
come to my knowledge, 1 beg leave to remark" ihat, horn i he well 
known character of the regiment, any observations emanating from 
those whose interest it is 'o cast a direct or indirect reflection upon 
its conduct, cannot be received with too much distrust. 

1 have the honor lo be, sir. 
Major Friend, Your very obcd : t humble scrv't. &e. 

Comm'ir. 2d Bait. Richard Bullock, 

41sl Regiment. Lieut. 41st Grenadiers. 

The following is the American General's very prolix account of 
the affair of the Moravian town. 

Copy of a letter from Mai. General Harrison, to the Secretary 
of War; dated 
Hf ad- Quarters, Detroit, Oct. 9tJi, 1813. 
Sin— Tn my letter from Sandwich, of the 30th ult. 1 did myself 
the honor to inform you, that 1 iva> preparjns to ] ur?ue the enemy 
on the fallowing day. From various pauses, howevi r.l was urahle to 
put the troops in motion until the morning of the 2d instant ; and then 
.to take with me about 140 of the regu'ar trooj •, Jol o cms mot utrd 
regiment, and such of Gov. Shelby's volunteers as were fit for'n lapid 
march; the whole amounting to about 3 5C0 men. , To Gen. M'Ar- 
thur, (with about 700 effectives,) the protecting this place, and the 



141 



sick, was committed- Gen. Cass's brigade, and the corps of Lieut. 
Col. Ball, were left at Sandwich, with orders to follow me as soou 
as the men had received their kuapsaN ks and blankets, which had 
been left on an Island, in Like Erie. 

The unavoidable delay at Sandwich was attended with no disad- 
vantage to us; General Procter bad po fed himself at Dolson's, on 
the right bank id' the Thames', (or Trench) 56 miles from this place, 
where, 1 was informed, he intended io fortify, and wait to receive 
me. He mast have believed, however, that 1 had no disposition to 
follow him, or that he had secured my continuance here by the re- 
ports that were circulated, that the Indians would attack and destroy 
this place, upon the advance of the army— as he neglected to com- 
mence the breaking up the bridges, until the night of the 2d instant; 
On that n.flfht, our army reached the river, which is 25 miles from 
Sandwich, and is one of four streams, crossing our route, over all of 
which are bridges; and, being deep and muddy, are not fordable for 
a considerable distance into ihe country : the bridge, here, was found 
entire; and, in the morning, 1 proceeded with Johnson's regiment to 
save, if possible, the others. At the second bridge, over a branch of 
the river Thames, we were fortunate enough to capture a Lieutenant 
of Dragoons and 11 privates, who had been sent by General Procter 
to destroy them. Fiom the prisoners, I learned that the third bridge 
was broken up, and thai the enemy had no certain informaiion of 
our advance;— the bridge, bavins been imperfectly destroyed, was 
soon repaired, and the army encamped at Drake's farm, 4 miles be- 
low Dolson's. — The river Thames, along the bank of which our 
route lay, i- a fine deep stream, navigable lor vessels of considerable 
burthen; after the passage of the bar, at its mouth, there is six and a 
half feet water. 

The baggage of the army was brought from Detroit in boats, pro- 
tected by three gun-boats which Commodore Perry had furnished for 
the purpose, as well as to cover the passage of the army over the 
Thames itself, or the mouths of its tributary streams ; the banks 
being low, and the country generally open, (prairies,) as high as Dol- 
son's, these Vessels were well calculated lor that purpose. Above 
Dolson's, however, the character of the river anditidjacent country 
is considerably changed; the former, though still deep, is very nar- 
row, and its banks high and woody. 

The Commodore and myself, therefore, agreed upon the propriety 
of leaving: the boats under a guard of 150 infantry ; and 1 determined 
to trust to fortune, and the bravery of my troops, to effect the passage 
of the river. Below a place called Chatham, and 4 miles above Dol- 
son's, is the third un fordable branch of the Thames; the bridge over 
its mouth had been taken up by the Indians, as well as that at 
M'Gr gor's mills, one mile above. Sev ral hundred of the Indians 
. remained to dispute our passage, and upon the arrival of the advanced 
guard, commenced a heavy fiic from the opposite bank of the creek 
as well as that of tire river. Believing that the whole force of the 
enemy was there, I bailed the army, and formed in order of battle; 
and brought op our two sis pound- rs, to cover the party that were 
ordered to repair the 1 ridge; a few shot, from those pieces, soon 
diove ofl the Indians, antl enabled u*, in 2 hours, to repaii the bridge 
and cross the troops. Col. Johnson's mounted regiment, being upon 



142 

the right of the army, had seized the remains of the bridge at the 
mills, under a heavy fire from the Indians. Our loss upon this oc- 
casion, was 2 killed, and 3 or 4 wounded — that of the enemy was as- 
certained to be considerably greater. A house, near the bridge, con- 
taining a considerable number of mu=quets, had been set nn fire ; but 
it was extinguished by our troops, and the arms saved. At the first 
farm, above the bridge we found one of the enemy's vessels on fire, 
loaded with arm and ordnance stores; and learned that they were a 
lew miles ahead of us, still on the right bank of the river, with a great 
body of Indians- At Bowies' iarm, 4 miles from the bridge, we halt- 
ed for the night ; found two other vessels, and a large distillery, filled 
■with ordnance and other valuable stores, to an immense amount, in 
flames ; it was impossible to put out the fire — two 24 prs. with their 
carriages, were taken, with a large quantity of ball and shell, of va- 
rious sizes. 

The army was put in motion, early on the morning of the 5th. I 
pushed on, in advance, with the mounted regiment, and r< quested 
Gov. Shelby to follow, as expeditiously as possible, with the infant- 
ry • the Governor's zeal, and that of his men, enabled them t > keep 
up with the cavalry ; and, by 9 o'clock, we were at Arnold's mills, 
having taken, in the course of the morning, two gun boats, and seve- 
ral batteaux, loaded with provisions and ammunition. A ra- 
pid, at the river at Arnold's mills, affords the only fording to be met 
with for a very considerable distance; but, upon examination, it was 
found loo deep for the infantry. Having, fortunately, taken two or 
three boats, and some Indian canoes, on the spot, and obliging the 
horsemen to take a footman behind each, the whole were safely cros- 
sed by 12 o'clock. Ei2,ht miles from the crossing, we passed a farm 
where a part of the British troops had encamped the night before, 
under the command of Col. Warburton; the detachment, under Gene- 
ral Procter, had arrived, the day before, at the Moravian town, four 
miles higher up. Being now certainly near the enemy, I directed 
the advance of Johnson's regiment to accelerate their march, for the 
purpose of procuring intelligence ; the officer commanding it, in a 
short time, sent to inform me, that his progress was stopped by the 
enemy who were formed across our line of march : one of the ene- 
my's wagoners also being taken prisoner, from the information re- 
ceived from him, and my own observation, assisted by some of my 
officers, I soon ascertained enough of their disposition, and order of 
battle, to determine that, which it was proper for me to adopt. 

1 have the honor, herewith to enclose you my general order, of the 
27th ult. prescribing the order of march, and of battle, when the whole 
army should act together; but, as the number and description of the 
troops had been essentially changed, it became necessary to make a 
corresponding alteration in their disposition. 

From the pl.,ce where our army was halted, to the Moravian town, 
a distance of about three and a half miles, the road passes through a 
beach forest, without any clearing; and, for the first two miles, near 
to the bank of the river ; at from 2 to 300 hundred yards from ihe river, 
a swamp extends parallel to it, throughout the whole distance; the 
intermediate ground is dry, and, although the trees are tolerably thick, 
it is in many places clear of undrrbrush; across this strip of land, its 
left appuyed upon the river, supported by artillery, placed in the 
wood; their right in the swamp, covered by the whole of their Indian 
foree— the British troops were drawn up. 



143 

The troops, at my disposal consisted of about 120 regulars of tht 
f7th regiment, five brigades of Kentucky volunteer militia inlantry, 
under his excellency Governor Shelby, averaging less than 500 men; 
and Col, Johnson's regiment of mounted infantry, making, in the 
whole, an aggregate of something above 3,000. I^o disposition of an 
army, opposed to an Indian force, can be safe, unless it is secured on 
the flanks, and in the rear; 1 had, therefore no difiiculty in arranging 
the infantry, conformably to my general order of battle. Gen. Trot- 
ter's brigade, of 500 men, formed the front line; his right upon the 
road — his left upon the swamp; Gen. King's brigade, as a second line 
150 yards in the rear of Trotter's ;and Chile's brigade, as a corps of 
reserve, in the rear of it — these three brigades formed the command 
of Major-General Henry; the whole of Gen. Desha's division con- 
sisting of two brigades, were formed, en yotence, upon the left of 
Trotter. 

Whilst I was engaged in forming the infantry, I had directed Col. 
Johnson's regiment, which was still in front, to be formed in two 
lines, opposite to the enemy ; and, upon the advance of the infantry 
to take the ground upon the left; and, forming upon the flank to en- 
deavor to turn the right of the Indians. 

A moment's reflection, however, convinced me, that, from the 
thickness of the woods, and swampiness of t lie ground, they would 
be unable to do any thing on horsebacu — and ihere was no time to 
dismount them, and place their horses in security ; I, therefore de- 
termined, to refuse my left to the Indians, and to break the British 
lines, at once, by a charge of the mounted infantry. The measure 
was net sanctioned by any thing that 1 had seen or heard of but I 
was fully convinced that it would succeed. The American back- 
woods'i en ride better in the woods than any other people; a musquet 
or rifle, is no impediment to them, being accustomed to carry them' 
on hir^eback, from their earliest youth. I was persuaded, too that 
the enemy would be quite unprepared for the shock, and that they 
could not resist it. Conformably to this idea, I directed the regiment 
to be drawn up in close column, with its right at the distance 3 of 50 
yards upon the road, (that might be, in some measure, protected by 
the trees, fiom the artillery,) its left upon the swamp, and to charge 
at full speed, as soon as the enemy delivered their fire- The few 
regular troops, of the 27th, under their Colonel, (Paul) occupied in 
columns of four, the small space between the road and the river 'for 
the purpose of seizing the enemy's artillery; and some. 10 or 12 
friendly Indians were directed to move under the bank. The crotch- 
et, formed by the front line, and Desha's division, was an important 
point; at this place the venerable governor of Kentucky was posted 
who, at the age of 66, preserves all the vigor of youth — the ardent 
zeal, which distinguished him in the revolutionary'war — and the un- 
daunted bravery, which he manifested at King's Mountain. With 
my aids-decamp, the acting assistant Adjutant Gen. Capt. Butler; 
my gallant friend, Com. Perry, who did me the honor to serve as my 
volunteer aid-de camp, and Brig. Gen. Cass, who, having no com- 
mand, tendered me his assistance — 1 placed myself at the head of the 
front line of infantry, to direct the movements of the cavalry, and give 
them the necessary support. The army had moved on, in this order 
but a short distance, when the mounted men received the fire of th« 



144 



Rritish line and wore ordered to charge : the horses, in front of the 
Column "coiled from the fire • another was given hy the enemy, and 
column, uc.iearo,^^ through the enemy 

SfiiiW forle ^-e minute the contest, in front was oven 
Sle BrKish oftWrs, seeing no hopes of reducing their disordered 
Sksto or hr i nd oar mounted men wheeHngmpen them; and pour- 
rank, to orjer an. imliediilt ; e l y surrendered. It is certain that 

2 e ,°l - °. t hfe con est v.-, were, with tire Indians: Ool. 

K;S ^ ' on that flank bl his recent, received a 

:?Arn%re from the'rn, Which was returned wiih C reat effect. 
Si '. "t,,. ..,,, ?( MeUinwuhour 

from me'of 'infantry, near its junction with ?$V*£^<& 
for a moment, made an inipress.on upon - Hi, exce ^ ^ov. 

sheib M'-r:LSie!!;^;;r:i -?s^rS:: t 

BS !?S535 E t£i?™.t^H with ^ reci SaTn «iM5 

S.V considerable in the action, and many wore killed in the., retreat. 

I canoive no satisfactory information ol the number of Indians 

'thlt were in the action; but they must have been considerably U£- 

that were m i ie * . , documents in my possession, 

Rw ?Jte rt officia titers ail of winch were taken) and from the 
(Lt n. 7™; r s p :;"^„ lr . einha ' D rtantsoffhisterritorv,the Indians 1 ,^! 

inn3ri "i i o T nti : 1 w > n uwl more numerou, than has beengener- 
Kpotd L 'na ItuitoUcn.DeUottenhurtr.orthc^thultoGeij. 
ally suppo^eu. i' -nrpviilpd unon most of the Indians to ac- 

fffiCi - ife^KSSoX. 50 or 60 Wyandot warriors 

ab The nun !berof our troop, was certainly greater than that of the 
lne numoer ot * reeoUected that tliev had choseh a position, 

fflkS uX se u 4 Ubeir Hank, which it was impossible for A 
fa torn and that we could not present to tbem a line more extended 
ISan ihcir own" it will not be considered arrogant to claim, ior my 

^^Snlc^mMo^rVSdem, through you, sir, my opinion 
oftlcS of "he officers, who served under my command I am 
hovt mention that of Gov. Shelby, being convinced that 
no eu lo'ium of mine can reach his merits; the governor of W -ind£ 
nenden? state-greatly mv superior in years, in experience, and in 
£S?it*rV cl aracter-he placed himself under my command ; and was 
?6 ntSe 'remarkable for his zeal and activity, than tor the promnt,- 
J£ J Vnd cheerfulness with which he obeyed my orders 

The Ma o -Geneials. Henry and Desha, and the Brigadiers, Allen, 
Caldwell, Chilevand Trotter, all bf the Kentucky volunteers, mani- 
fested "rent zeal and activity. . - , 
•It would be useless, sir, after slating the circumstances of the ac- 

fwoe'pounde'rsf having no use for them in the action, he joined m 



145 

the pursuit of the enemy ; and, with Maj. Payne of the mounted regi- 
ment, two of my aids-de-camp, Todd and Chambers, and three pri- 
vates, continued it for several miles aftet the troops had halted, and 
made many prisoners. 

I left ihe army before an official return of the prisoners, or that of 
the killed and wounded, was made out; it was, however, ascertained 
that the fprmer amounted to 601 regulars, including 25 officers. Our 
loss is seven killed, and 22 wounded, five of which have since died. 
Of the British troop?, 12 killed, and 22 wounded; the Indians suffer- 
ed most — 33 of them having been found upon the ground, besides 
those killed on the retreat. 

On the day of the action, six pieces of brass artillery were taken 
— and 2 iron 24 pounders, the day before; — several others were dis- 
covered in the river, and can be easily procured. Of the brass pieces 
3 are the trophies of our revolutionary war, that were taken at Sara- 
toga and York, and surrendered by Gen. Hull. The number of small 
arms, taken by us, and destroyed by the enemy, must amount to up- 
wards of 5000; most of them had been ours, and taken by the enemy 
at the surrendej of Detroit, at the river Raisin, and at Col. Dudley's 
defeat. I believe that the enemy retain no other trophy of their vic- 
tories, than the standard of the 4th regiment; they were not magna- 
nimous enough to bring that ol the 4lst into the field, or it would have 
been taken. You have been informed, sir, ol the conduct or the 
troops, under my command, in action; it gives me great pleasure to 
inform you, that they merit, also, the approbation of their country, 
ior their conduct, in submitting to the greatest privations, with the 
utmost cheerfulness. 

The infantry were entirely without tents; and, for several days, 
the whole army subsisted upon fresh beef, without bread or salt. — 
Gen. Procter escaped by the fieetness of his horse, escorted by 40 
dragoons, and a number of Indians. 

I have the honor, &c. 
Hon. J. Armstrong, Sec, War. William H. Harrison. 

Although, with the capture of the Right Division, ceases all mili- 
tary operations of any consequence in the West, as its imprisonment 
and detention as hostages form no inconsiderable feature in the his- 
torical occurrences of that period, I have, under the impression that 
the narrative would be imperfect without it, decided on detailing the 
several vicissitudes to which, principally in their character of hos- 
tages, the captured troops were subjected. From this it will be 
seen, that the feeling of dislike and jealousy entertained by the 
Americans for every thing English, was precisely in 1812 what it 
is at the present day. 

On reaching Detroit, after having traversed for the lasttime, as 
prisoners, that soil which, almost unaided, a single Regiment had for 
fifteen months defended against tht efforts of successive powerful ar- 
mies sent to wrest it from their grasp, we found that Fort Meigs was 
the route through which the Division was to be marched info the 



146 

State of Ohio. The majority ot the officers, having pledged their 
parole to General Harrison, were suffered to take the advance, mount- 
ed on pack horses provided by the American Government. A few 
only, desirous of taking the Sandusky route across the lake, were 
embarked in the Ariel gjn-boat, and conveyed to Put-in-bay island, 
where the shattered fleets were then lying. Here indeed was to be 
seen evidence of a most sanguinary conflict, especially in Captain 
Barclay's ship. Every mast of this latter had been carried away — 
more than half her long guns had been dismounted — and the bul- 
warks were in fragments, while it was impossible to place a hand 
upon that broadside which had been exposed to the enemy's fire, 
without covering some portion of a wound, either from grape, round, 
canister, or chain-shot. The decks of all were moreover filled with 
wounded, and, on being introduced into Captain Barclay's cabin, we 
iound that gallant officer in bed, presenting a most helpless picture 
ol mutilation. Pain and disappointment were upon his brow, and 
the ruddy hue of health, lor which he had ever been remarkable, bad 
deserted him. In short ol his lormer self, there then seemed to be lit- 
tle lei t besides his untainted honor. The scene altogether was one 
of a most melancholy and impressive character. 

On the second morning of our arrival at this island, after having 
taken on board such of the naval officers as were not prevented by 
the severity of their wounds irom performing the journey, we con- 
tinued our course for Sandusky Bay. We had nearly made the spot 
intended for our disembarkation, when cne of those dangerous and 
sudden hurricanes, peculiar to the lakes of Canada during the autum- 
nal months, drove us back under bare poles, and a'ong the sheet of 
foam with which the broad expanse of water was literally covered, 
to the port we had just quilted. At length we finally separated from 
our companions in misfortune, and after a few hours' sail were ena- 
bled to cast anchor in the bay, where being immediately landed, we 
were conducted to the fort of Sandusky. 

During our stay at this place we had lull leisure for examining not 
only the defences of the fortress, but the various positions occupied 
by our troops during the assault; and the result ot our observation 
was, that an attack on a stockade work of this description, without 
the aid of ladders, must inevitably entail discomfiture. The nature 
of the fortification, and the manner in which the enemy were protect- 
ed from our fire, may be judged of from the fact of their having had 
onlv one man killed in the affair. 



147 

That which most excited my own immediate attention was the 
ground occupied by the lelt column of attack, consisting chiefly of the 
light company of the 41st. to which I was then attached, and which 
having forced iheir way to the very battel ies of the fort, had conse- 
quently sustained the greatest loss. My escape from the ravine 
where we had continued so many hours, was truly providential — 
When the order tor retiring was, in order to deceive the enemy, given 
in the Indian language, it was immediately explained by one or two in- 
terp-e'.ers present wiih the gienadier column on the right, and con- 
veyed by them in a low voice to the remaining divisions. Covered 
by (be brow of the opposite eminence, they followed the coarse of 
the ravine in safety, until they emerged fiom the defile, at a distance 
sufficient to admit of their ."orming unperceived by the enemv. Near- 
ly all the men of the light column, having received the order, had re- 
tired w'th the main body ; but those on the extreme left, having been 
separated from the lme by the brushwood and other obstacles they 
bad encountered in the ascent, remained in utter ignorance of what 
was passing on the right; and such was the caution observed in re- 
tiring, that neither fhe enemy m the fort nor ourselves could distin- 
guish the slightest sound to justify the supposition. It was now half- 
past nine o'clock. We had continued since half-past five lying ex- 
tended on the wet ground, \Uiere the mud was ankle-deep, and most 
of the men were chi"ed wiih cold. A t tins moment we heard, though 
indistinctly, varous orders given in the direction of our encamoment, 
and then only did we surmise the fact of the troops having been 
withdrawn. In this belief we were speedily confirmed, by hearing 
a command issued in a suppressed tone of voice in the fort, to open 
the sallyports. Perceiving iliat no time was to be lost, 1 proposed in 
a whisper, which the rising ground prevented being overheard by the 
enemy, that we should brave every risk, and attempt our immediate 
retreat. The men, however, refused to move, until the moon, winch 
was then in the first quarter, and reflecting its beams every where 
but in the bed of the ravine, was set, or should be obscured by some 
passing cloud. Leaving them to their fate, 1 therefore prepared to 
effect my escape alone, and immediately in front of the fortress ; but 
notwithstanding all my caution, I had not advanced many paces, 
when I stumbled over the dead bod^ of a soldier, wi.o, after having 
received a mortal wound, had evidently crawled on his hands and 
knees to rest his bleeding lorm against a clump of bushes, and had 
ded in that singular position. The noise occasioned by my fall put 



148 

the enemy once more on the alert; and as the moonbeams reflected 
on my arms and regimentals, I had no sooner ascended the opposite 
side of the ravine, than the whole front of the fort was lighted up 
with their fire. Not an individual, save myself, was exposed to their 
aim, and the distance did not exceed fifty paces; yet, although the 
balls whistled round my ears in every direction, and hissed through 
the long grass with which the plain was covered, I did not sustain 
the slightest injury, even though a second volley was fired after the 
interval of half a minute. On reaching the spot where the columns 
had been originally formed for the assault, I found that my retreat 
had been well-timed, for the troops were already in motion towards 
the boats, the guns having been previously embarked. In that which 
contained my provision-basket, I discovered a few bottles of port wine, 
which had arrived that very morning from Amherstburg, This was 
indeed a luxury that I would cot at the moment have exchanged for 
a thione; and so thoroughly exhausted' was I with hunger thirst and 
fatigue, that placing a bottle to my parched lips, I did not abandon it 
until the whole of its contents had been emptied at a draught. The 
effect was instantaneous, and 1 lay in the bottom of the boat all night 
enjoying the most delicious moments of repose 1 recollect ever having 
experienced. When I awoke at a late hour on the following morning, 
a mild September sun was glancing its golden rays along the tran- 
quil bosom of Lake Erie, in the centre of which our boats were all 
assembled, and gliding along its surface with a speed proportioned 
to the vigorous efforts of the rowers— the men alternately singing and 
indulging in rude jests, reckless of the comrades whose dying groans 
had assailed their ears a few hours before, and evidently without care 
or thought for the future. Every individual of those who had refus- 
ed to accompany me on that occasion, was taken prisoner by the 
American party despatched through the sallyport. 

Some difficulty was experienced at Sandusky in procuring ihe 
means of conveyance: at length, however, on the morning of the third 
day, mounted on miserable pack horses, scarcely able to sustain their 
own weight, and tottering at every step beneath their additional bur- 
den, we commenced our route from Chilicothe, the place selected for 
our detention. A single officer of infantry composed our escort, and 
he had been appointed to the service chiefly with a view to protect 
us from insult, and to procure lodgings and other accommodations 
on the road. To describe the fatigue and privation which we en- 
dured during this tedious journey, would require more time and spao« 



149 

than it can be necessary to bestow upon this part of the narrative. The 
rainy season had already setin, and sea; ci ly a single day passed by with- 
out our being literally wet to the skin. Our route lay through an in- 
hospitable tract of country, consisting alternately of gloomy forest 
and ex'.ensive savannah, the latter often intersected by streams led 
from the distant mountains, and swollen by the unceasing rains. — 
Sometimes a solitary hut, vying in filthiness with the beings by whom 
it was tenanted, afforded us shelter for the night, but more frequent- 
ly we found that repose which absolute fatigue and exhaustion en- 
sure to the traveller, near the fires we were compelled to kindle in the 
forest. At length our jaded animals, slipping at everv step, and 
threatening to sink beneath their efforts, brought us to Fort Wayne. 
Here we were provided with other horses, but of the same miserable 
description: their backs cruelly galled by the ill-stuffed saddles, and 
their ribs almost protruding from beneath their hair-divested hides, 
the appearance of these unfortunate animals was pitiable in the ex- 
treme ; and few of us, on leaving Fort Wayne, entertained the slight- 
est doubt of their sinking successively beneath us, before our destina- 
tion could be gained. The rain still continued to fall, and during the 
latter part of October and the commencement of November we never 
once beheld the sun. Many of the officers were withoutgreat coats, hav- 
ing been plundered of every thing, as well by the followers of the divi- 
sion as by the enemy themselves; and, although we each possessed a 
change of linen, during the whole journey we had no opportunity of 
having any thing washed, so that in a short time we were infested 
by vermin, which gave the finishing stroke to our calamities. Still 
we proceeded on our journey, and through a country of the same cha- 
racter with that we had previously traversed. On one occasion we 
found ourselves stopped by a stream of considerable depth, the bridge 
over which had been broken down by the torrent. No other alternative 
remained than to swim our horses across, or run the risk of their 
breaking their legs in the interstices of the bridge, which had partly 
sunk beneath the surface ol the water. The former course wasafttr due 
deliberation, adopted ; and lots having been drawn, the first attempt de- 
volved on Lieutenant Stokoe of the Royal Navy. Spurring his horse 
into the current, this officer with much difficulty reached the opposite 
bank; but, unable to effect a landing, was thrown from his seat in 
consequence of the violent struggles made by the animal, and, with 
one foot fastened in the stirrup, lay lor some moments in imminent 
danger of perishing. At length, after much exertion, he succeeded 



150 

in disengaging himself, when clambering up the steep, he soon drew 
his horse after him. This experiment being considered too dangerous 
for repetition, we decided on effecting our passage across the bridge; 
and owing to the caution we observed, no accident occurred to the 
horses — a circumstance peculiarly fortunate, since we could have 
found no means of supplying our loss. After several weeks of tedious 
travelling through this dreary region, some few traces of civilization 
and cultivation were perceptible, and we finally beheld the banks of 
the Scioto. On the opposite shore of this small river stands the town 
of Chilicothe ; and alter having for the last time committed our steeds 
and persons to the water, in default of a bridge, we found ourselves 
at the termination of our journey, overcome with lassitude, and in 
a state which might have caused us to pass for any thing rather than 
British officers. The party which had taken the route of Fort Meigs 
was already arrived, and with it the troops of the division. 

At Chilicothe, I was singularly fortunate in meeting with a gentle- 
man who exercised the rites of hospitality in my favor to the fullest 
extent. An apartment in his house was appropriated to my service, 
a cover daily laid at his table, and his horses declartd at my command. 
In short, no individual in the character of a prisoner of war had ever 
less reason to inveigh against his destiny. This ray of sunshine 
was, however, of short duration. Soon after the arrival of the San- 
dusky party at Chilicothe, the officers captured at the Moravian viU 
lage were, in consequence of an order from the American government, 
despatched to Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky — those of the naval 
service alone being suffered to remain, and. through the influence used 
by my kind host, my name was included in the list of the latter. At 
the moment when we began to reconcile ouiselves to our situation, 
and to appreciate the attention paid us by the more respectable in- 
habitants, an order suddenly arrived for our close imprisonment. 
This unexpected measure owed its origin to the following circum- 
stance. Among <he prisoners taken at the affair in which the la- 
mented General Brock lost his life, twenty-three men, recognized as 
deserters from the various regiments in Canada, had been sent to 
England, and subsequently tried and convicted. The execution of 
the sentence had, however, been deferred. The Ameiican govern- 
ment was no sooner apprised of their impending fate, than, acting on 
that system of naturalization which, in defiance of every principle Of 
equity, would preclude the hitherto undisputed right of nations to 
punish their criminal subjects, they caused an equal number of Bri- 



151 

tish soldiers to be kept closely confined, to answer as hostages lor the 
safety of the convicted deserters. This unjustifiab'e proceeding was 
followed by the seclusion of twenty-three commissioned, and an equal 
number of non-commissioned American officers, and retaliated by 
them in a similar manner ; so that finally nearly a'l the officers of 
both parties were deprived of their liberty, and liable at my moment 
to answer with their lives for the apostacy of three and twenty indi- 
viduals America should have blushed to claim as subjects of her 
republic. 

With a view to the thorough comprehension of tbe subject by the 
reader, and to exhibit in its true light the extraordinary course pur- 
sued by the United States, it will be important here 10 annex, not 
only the remonstrance of the British Government, as conveyed 
through two distinct general orders issued by Sir George Prevost 
under the direction of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent but 
the particular instructions, for the close confinement of the officers of 
the Right Division in the Peniteutiary of Frankfort, transmitted by 
the American Secretary of State to the Governor of Kentucky. 
General Order. 

Head Quarters Montreal, Oct. 27, 1S13. 
His Excellency the Governor General and Commander of the 
Forces, having transmitted to His Majesty's Government a letter 
Irom Major Gen. Dearborn, stating that the American Commissary 
ot Prisoners in London had made it known to his Government that 
tvventy-ihree soldiers of the 1st, 6lh and 13th Regiments of United 
States Infantry, made prisoners, had been sent to England and held 
in close confinement as British subjects, and that Major Gen. Dear- 
born had received instructions from his Government, to pu't into close 
confinement twenty-three British soldiers, to be kept as hostages for 
the safe keeping and restoration in exchange of the soldiers of the 
United States, who had been sent as above stated to England -—in 
obedience to which instructions, he had put twenty-lhiee British 
soldiers into close confinement to be kept as hostages; and the per- 
sons referred to in Maj. Gen. Dearborn's letter heinsr soldiers ser- 
ving in the American army, taken prisoners at Queenstown, who had 
declared themselves to be Briltsh born subjects, and were held in 
custody in England there to undergo a legal trial. 

His Excellency the Commander of the Forces has received the 
commands of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, through the 
Right Honorable the Earl Bathurst, Secretary of State, to lose no 
time in communicating to Major Gen. Dearborn, that he has trans- 
mitted a copy of his letter, and that he is in consequence instructed 
distinctly to state to Maj. Gen. Dearborn, that His Excellency r.as 
received the commands of His Royal Highness the Prince Recent 
forthwith to put in close confinement, forty-six American officers and 
non-commissioned officers, to be held as hostages for the safe keep- 
ing of the twenty-three British soldiers stated to have been put in 
close confinement by order of the American Government. 



152 

And he is at the same time to apprize him that it any of the said 
British soldiers shall suffer death, by reason that the soldiers now un- 
der confinement in England have been found guilty, and that the 
known law, not only of Great Britain, but of every independent state 
under similar circumstances, has been in consequence executed, he 
has been instructed to select out of the American officers and non- 
commissioned officers put into confinement as many as double the 
number of British soldiers who shall have been so unwarrantably put 
to death, and cause such officers and non-commissioned officers to 
suffer death immediately. 

And Bis Excellency is further instructed to notify to Major Gen. 
Dearborn that the commanders of His Majesty's armies, and fleets 
on the coast of America have received instructions to prosecute the 
war with unmitigated severity against ail Cities, Towns, and Vil- 
lages belonging to the United States, and against the inhabitants 
thereof, if after this communication shall have been duly made to 
Major Gen. Dearborn, arid a reasonable time given for its being trans- 
mitted to the American G vernment, that Government shall unhap- 
pily not be deterred from putting to death any of the soldiers who now 
are, or who may hereafter be, kept as hostages foi the purposes stated 
in the letter from Major Gen. Dearborn. 

His Excellency the Commander of the Forces, in announcing to 
the Troops the commands of His Royal Highness, the Prince Regent, 
is confident that they will feel sensible, of the paternal solicitude 
which His Hoyal Highness has evinced for the protection of the per- 
son and honorof the British soldier, thus grossly outraged in contempt 
of justice, humanity, and the Law of Nations, in the persons of twen- 
ty-three soldiers placed in close confinement, as hostages for an equal 
number of traitors who had been guilty of the base and unnatural 
crime of raising their parricidal arms against that country which gave 
them birth, and who have been delivered over for legal trial 10 the 
just laws of their offended country. 

The British soldier will feel this unprincipled outrage, added to 
the galling insults and cruel barbarities that are daily wantonly in- 
flicted on many of his unfortunate comrades, who have fallen into 
the enemy's hands, as additional moiives to excite his determined 
resolution' never to resign his liberty but with his life, to a foe so re- 
gardless of all sense of honor, justice and the rights of war. 

(Signed) Edward Baynes, Adj't. Gen. 

Extract from a letter from the Secretary of State to the Governor 
of Kentucky. 

Nov. 27, 1813. 

Sir, — The British Government seems to have given to this war 
every degree of savage barbarity and cruelty which it may be able to 
inflict. In the close of the late campaign, the British commanders at 
Quebec seized and sent to England, twenty-three of our soldiers who 
had been prisoners, to be tried for treason, on the pretence thai they 
were British subjects. For so unjust and outrageous an act, the Presi- 
dent was bound to confine a like number of British prisoners in the 
United States, which he did in the expectation that the British Go- 
vernment, seeing the inevitable consequence of the first measure, 
would rehx from it, or at least leave the affair in the state in which 



153 

it had thus been placed for accommodation by treaty. More recent- 
ly, however, a measure of still greater injustice has been adopted. 
The Prince Regent has ordered into close confinement forty-six offi- 
cers of the United States upon the principle, as he says, of ■ etaliation, 
expecting, by the violence of the proceeding, to iitiinidate this go- 
vernment into a sub nission to the extravagant ;;nd unfounded claims 
of the British Government. The President has met this measure 
with equal decision, by ordering into lilce confinement forty-six Bri- 
tish officers, as a pledge for the safetv of those on whom the British 
Government seems disposed to wreak its vengeance. 

These officers are ordered to be conveyed to Frankfort in Kentucky, 
to be confined there in the penitentiary of that Stale, which is tepre- 
sented to be a building affording the twofold advantage of good and 
9%fe accommodations. 

"This step is taken in the full confidence that every facility will be 
afforded to its complete execution, by Your Excellency, that may ba 
expected from a character so strongly attached to the union, and de- 
cided in the support of all the necessary measures to secure success 
to the just war in which we are engaged. 



General Order, Adjutant Generals Office, 
Head Quarters, Montreal, 12th December, 1813. 

His Excellency the Governor in Chief and Commander of the 
Forces has to announce to the troops under his command, that he 
has received a communication from Major General Wilkinson, com- 
manding a Division of the Army of the United States of America, 
by order of His Government, of which the following is an extract: — 

" The Government of the United States adhering unalterably to the 
" principle and purpose declared in the communication of Gen. Dear- 
" born to you. on tlie subject of the twenty-three American soldiers, 
" prisoners of war, sent to England to be tried as criminals ; and the 
"confinement of a like number of British soldiers, prisoners of war, 
"selected to abide the fate of the former; has in consequence of the 
"step taken by the British Government, as now communicated, or- 
"dered forty six British officers into c^ose confinement, and that they 
" will not be discharged from their confinement until it shall be known 
"that the forty-six American officers and non-commissioned officers 
"in question are no longer confined/' 

It would be superliuous to use any argument to refute an assump- 
tion so extravagant, unjust, and unprecedented, as to deny the right 
of a free nation to bring to legal trial, in a due course of law, her own 
natiral horn subjects t ike.i in the actual com mission of the most heinous 
oil'ence that man can commit against his King, his Country, and his 
God; that of raising his parricidal arm against his allegiance to his 
eOuntrymen, by leaguing with their enemies; a crime held in such 
abhorrence by every civilized nation in Europe, that summary death 
by the law Martial is its avowed reward, and is inflicted with unre- 
lenting seventy b,y France, the ally of the United States. This pre- 
tention must appear to avecy •unprejudiced and upright mind as in- 
iquitous and unjust, as is the retaliation which the Government of 
the United States has adopted, by placing in close confinement three 
and twenty British soldiers, as hostages for an equal number of in- 



154 

famous wretches, the unworthy offspring ot Great Britain, who, whea 
drawn from the ranks of the enemy, solicited to be suffered to expiate 
their treason by turning their arras against their employers. These 
Rebels have (with the contempt they merit) been consigned to the 
infamy and punishment that await them from theju-t laws of their 
offended country, while ihe Government of the United States does 
not blush to claim these outcast traitors as their own, and outrage the 
custom of civilized war, in the persons of honorable men, by placing 
them on a par with Rebels and Deserters. 

No alternative remains to the Commander of the Forces, in the dis- 
charge of his duty to his kng, his country, and his fellow-soldiers, 
but to order all the American officers, prisoners of war, without ex- 
ception of rank, to ba immediately placed in close confinement as 
hostages for the forty-six British officers so confined, by the express 
command of the supreme authority in that country, until the number 
of forty-six be completed, over and above those now in confinement. 

His Excellency direct? that this General Order together with that 
issued on the 27th of October, be read to the troops, that the British 
soldier may be sensible of the teims on which America has determin- 
ed to wage this war; confident that he will meet them with proper 
spirit and indignation ; for should he become the prisoner of a foe so 
regardless of those laws, which for ages have governed civilized na- 
tions in war, he would be doomed to a rigorous confinement, and 
that only preparatory to a more savage scene. 

(Signed) Edward Baynes. Adjt. Gen. 

North America. 
But more than either of the foregoing documents, does the follow- 
ing statement, copied from ihe Salem Gazette, prove the nature and 
consequences of this cruel system of retaliation, as carried on be- 
tween the two countries. 

"Treatment of British Prisoners of War in the United 
States. — It is time that the public should be correctly informed on 
the subject of the unfortunate prisoners at Ipswich. Seventeen of 
-our fellow beings have been immured in dungeons in our own neigh- 
borhood, three months, and tjie public attention has not been called 
to their sufferings. The following we believe to be a correct state- 
ment of this affair. 

On the seventh day of October 1813, James Prince Esq., Marshal 
of this District issued his mandate directed. 

"To the keeper of the gaol of the United States at Ipswich, with- 
in the District aforesaid — Greeting" — requiring him "to receive in- 
to his custody, and safely keep in dungeons in the gaol aioresaid, the 
bodies of I hotnas Cooper, John Clark, Adam Kirhy, Samuel Thorp, 
Thomas Hewes, John Bendow, James Onion, Riehard How, Daniel 
Dowland, and James Humphries, in retaliation for cruellies 4V said to 
be" ''exercised" on certain persons at Halifax, "and also as hostages 
to respond for any acts of violence which may be inflicted on them." 
By similar orders dated Oct. 11th, 12th. 13th, and Nov. 2d, he al- 
so directs the under keeper to confine in dungeons the bodies of Wm. 
Nickerson, Elkanah Clements, R. Kirkland Black, Wm. Owen, Benj. 
Johnson, and James Ross in retaliation- for "cruelties" said to b« 
committed on other American prisoners of War in Halifax. 



155 

By another order dated Oct. 12th, the Marshal directs the gaoler 
to receive and detain in his custody the body of Peter II. Diedale, a 
maritime prisoner of war, without alledging any other cause, and he 
has been confined in a dungeon with the rest. 

These men have ever since been kept in dungeons as dreary as 
Mr. Madison could desire. 'The gaol is a gloomy stone building. 
Tlie dungeons are seven feet by ten on the ground floor, of rough 
stone at top, bottom, and on all sides. There are loop holes or nar- 
row openings of two or three inches wide through the upper part of 
the stone walls, to admit the little light and air which these unfortu- 
nate victims are allowed to enjoy. In damp weather, the water runs 
down the walls, and drops fro n the stone ceiling over the floors. 
These dungeons were never intended for any other purpose, than 
to punish the worst of convicts by a few days solitary imprisonment, 
and it is believed have never been used even for thai purpose. Yet 
in these places have innocent men been languishing foi three months, 
sixteen of them, four in a dungeon, and the other (Captain Ross) 
in a dungeon by himself. A few days since ten of them were removed 
to the eels in the second story, appropriated to criminal?,. These 
cells are larger than the dungeons but extremely cold and uncomfort- 
able. So far have these unfonunate prisoners been "released" (as 
had been asserted in another American paper,) and no farther. Se- 
ven viz. Capt. Clements, Lieuts. Owen, Black, and INickerson, and 
two seamen, it is understood, are still confined in two dungeons, and 
on some of the late cold nights several were past recovery, notwith- 
standing they had received a supply of warm cloaihing from some 
charitable individuals; and medical aid was necessarily called in to 
restore the perishing; and it is only by this charitable relief and the 
attention of the gaolers family, unwarranted hv th. orders of Govern- 
ment, that these poor prisoners are not dead ! They must have perish- 
ed, if left to the care of Government ' Such is the situation of these 
prisoners, and this is the " retaliation" that is called "christian!" 

That the threat ol retaliation would have been carried into effect 
by the American government, it is scarcely possible to believe, 
since, exclusively of the blot such a proceeding must have imprint- 
ed on their character, the disproportion ot prisoners was greatly in 
our favor, as well in regard to rank as numbers ; but we had too 
much reason to apprehend, from the unqualified hatred manifested 
towards us by the populace in the Stales of Ohio and Kentucky, that 
the will of their rulers would have had little effect in restraining the 
ebullition of their rage, had the original sentence been carried into 
execution. Let it not be imagined that this idea arose simply from 
surmise, or had its being in the vague apprehension of men who f 
more immediately interested in the result, might be deemed ready 
to admit the agency of fancy in their impressions of impending evil. 
Several gentlemen, estimable for their rank and character in these 
States, warned us during their occasional visits of the fact, and with 
ev«y opportunity of ascertaining the public feeling, communicated 



156 

circumstances which left us no reason to infer thai their fears for the le- 
sult should be disregarded. Our sensations in consequence were 
not, it will be imagined, of the most pleasing or enviable description. 
The common gaol of the town had been fixed on for our abode, and 
we were distributed into two small rooms in an upper story, commu- 
nicating with each other, and containing each ten persons. During 
the day they were left, open, but carefully locked and bolted at 
night, and sentinels were posted in the coriidor into which they 
opened. The height was upwards of sixty feet from the ground ; 
and through the strong bars with which the windows were furnish- 
ed, we beheld others pacing to and fro, and exercising their vigi- 
lance so far as to direct their attention repeatedly to our rooms. 
Thus guarded, and unprovided with instruments of any description 
whatever, we had no hope of effecting an escape ; while, to crown 
our misery, Fortune had thrown us inio the hands of a gaoler of the 
most ruffianlike character. On one occasion, in consequence of 
some trifling misunderstanding with an interpreter who had been 
confined in the adjoining room — a man remarkable for the mildness 
and forbearance of his nature, — the wretch inflicted so severe a 
wound on his head with a ponderous key, as to cause the blood to 
gush forth with extreme violence. When visited by the officer of 
the guard, a complaint was preferred by the injured man ; but the 
liberal republican, with true patriotic feeling, justified the act of his 
countryman, and concluded by threatening a repetition of the pu- 
nishment. 

We had now been some time in this disagreeable situation, when 
a project was formed which promised to throw a more favorable 
coloring over our destiny. The whole of the captive division, in- 
cluding the seamen, were confined in a fortified camp, erected 
for the purpose on the skirt of a wood adjoining one of the suburbs 
of the town, and were guarded by a considerable detachment of re- 
gular infantry. These noble fellows were no sooner apptised of the 
ignominious fate with which their officers were threatened, than 
with the generous devotedness characteristic of their respective 
professions, they deputed two Serjeants who had been suffered to 
communicate with us on subjects relative to the cloathing of the 
men, to express their determination to effect our liberation, 01 perish 
in the attempt. Accordingly, the following plan was adopted, and 
fixed on for execution at a certain day. At midnight, the men were 
to rise and ovexpower the guard, and having secured them, and po»- 



157 

•essed themselves of their arms, to sepaiate into three distinct par- 
ties. The first of these, headed by one of the deputies, were to ad- 
vance on the prison, and having effected our liberation, to hasten 
to the boats on the river, which the second division were to have se- 
cured; while the third, patrolling the streets in silence, were to pre- 
vent the iuhabilants from assembling and impeding the operations 
ofthefi:st. The plan, hastily adopted, from the circumstances in 
which we found ourselves placed, was at best a wild one, since, had 
it succeeded in all its primary stages, we must have been eventually 
destroyed in descending the nairow river of the Scioto, by the fire 
from the numerous riflemen the enemy would have collected, on the 
first intimation of our departure. We were then, however, san- 
guine of success, and none paused to consider the difficulties that 
awaited us after our liberation, in the heart of an enemy's country, 
where ammunition and provisions were alike beyond our reach. 
We spoke of our descent of the Mississippi from the Scioto, and the 
Ohio, and our final reception on board the English fleet we knew to 
be cruising off New Orleans, as a matter of course, and discussed 
our meditated movements with all the confidence of the soldier, but 
certainly with little of the prudence or foresight of the general. > 
Such was the plan decided or. for out escape; but, while awaiting 
the completion of the necessary preparations, a circumstance ludi- 
crous in itself, yet alarming in our actual position, threatened to 
blight every hope by which we had lately been sustained. One 
morning about daybreak, the noise of workmen was distinctly heard 
beneath the windows of the room in which, covered with a solitary 
blanket, and huddled together without order or ceremony, we con- 
trived to enjoy a few moments of repose. One of the party imme- 
diately jumped up, and running to the window, beheld a number of 
men engaged in the erection of a scaffold. The exclamation wrung 
from him by the sight, drew us all to the spot, and then, indeed, we 
might be said to have experienced the sensations of men who be- 
hold for the first time, and without a hope of reprieve, the gloomy 
preparations for an ignominious end. The predominant sentiment 
with us was, however, less regret for the existence we considered 
ourselves about to forfeit, than rage at the idea of having surrender- 
ed ourselves prisoners of war to an enemy capable of violating 
every principle of justice, for the sake of shielding a few perjured 
and despicable criminals from the laws of their offended country. 
In this state of cruel suspense, we continued until nine o'clock, the 



158 

hour at which the bolts of our prison were withdrawn for the day, 
when the explanation given by the gaoler dissipated our alarm. The 
scaffolding was erecting for the purpose of sinking a pump for the use 
of the prison ; and the indistinct view we had obtained of the con- 
struction through our bars, had given rise to ihe error. 

At length the much wished-for day fixed on for the execution of 
our enterprise arrived, and we arose, as we fully hoped, from our 
couch of misery, for the last time. To persons in our situation, it 
may easily be imagined, the hours appeared to move on leaden wings, 
yet we doubted not an instant of a favourable result. Fate had, how- 
ever, ordained otherwise. At four in the afternoon, while yet par- 
taking of our wretched meal, the trampling of horses' feet, and a con- 
fused sound of drums and voices, drew us suddenly to the window, 
and in a few minutes we beheld Governor Shelby literally armed to the 
teeth, a rifle on his shoulder, and accompanied by a numerous staff, 
riding up at full speed. We were for some lime lost in astonishment 
and unable to account for this singular appearance; but a clue to the 
mystery was soon afforded by the entrance of an American officer, 
who, leaving his guard in the corridor, advanced into the outer room 
accompanied by a formidable cyclop, bearing certain insignia of his 
trade, with which we could very willingly have dispensed. 

For the better insurance of success in our enterprise, it had been 
found necessary to admit two individuals in the town into our confv 
dence — certain essential and preliminary arrangements remaining to 
be effected. These gentlemen were of the federal party, and entered 
into our views with a willingness which gave every fair promise of 
a favorable issue. We had been rather intimately known to them 
priorto our confinement. and with their sentiments, both political and 
private, we were well acquainted. The measures necessary 10 for- 
ward our undertaking were faitnfully executed by them, and on the 
morning of the night which was to give us to liberty, as we fondly 
imagined, nothing of a preparatory nature remained to be done. Seiz- 
ed however by a sudden panic, and anticipating the consequences of 
adiscovery of co-operation with the enemies of their country, they re- 
solved to elude the danger they feared, by a voluntary and unreserv- 
ed disclosure of our intentions to the Governor of the State, who re- 
sided in Chilicothe. This was accordingly done, and the active and 
precautionary measures consequent on this alarming intellig< nee, had 
given rise to the bustle and tumult which assailed our ears from with- 
out, and earned disappointment and despair to our hearts. 



159 

This latter information was conveyed to us by our new risitor, 
Lieutenant Harrison, of the 19th infantry (a gentleman whose name 
I feel peculiar pleasure in recording,) who now proceeded to com- 
municate the disagreeable duty with which he v, as charged, and 
which the equipment of his forbidding attendant, armed with a ham- 
mer, anvil, and about twenty pairs of hund-cufis, sufficiently explain- 
ed. With a tearful eye and in a faltering tone, did this gentleman 
intreat us to lose sight of the man in the subordinate, and to believe 
how much it pained him to be the instrument selected for the purpose. 
Such an indignity, he said, he deplored being compelled to offer to 
British officers; but he trusted that with men to whom the rigor of 
military duty was familiar, the public act would be forgotten in the 
expiession of private feeling. The delicacy of such conduct was felt 
by all. and we hastened to assure him of our grateful sentiments in 
return. He then desired the man to proceed to the execution of his 
office : and in less than an hour, the hands of the whole party, myself 
alone excepted, were fettered with irons, which the rough and malig- 
nant-looking son of Vulcan seemed to feel no little satisfaction in 
applying. On inquiry, 1 learned that I had been excepted at the ex- 
press desire of Colonel Campbell, commanding the troops at Chili- 
cothe, from whom the order had emanated. For this favor I lelt that 
I was indebted to my kind friend Mr. Brush, but as I had little in- 
clination to be exempted from a participation in the fate of my com- 
panions, I expressed myself to that effect to Lieutenant Harrison, re- 
questing at the same that he would impart to the Commandant, who 
was the colonel of his own regi:i ent, the utter disinclination I en- 
tertained to owe him any thing in the shape of obligation, while my 
brother officers were manacled as felons. 

On the departure of the officers we had full leisure to reflect on 
the hopelessness of our situation, and we inveighed not a little 
against the defection of our American lriends, though, in fact, our 
own folly alone was to be taxed in having made the subjects of a 
country so interested in our detention accessary to the design. 
These reflections, however, finally yielded to a feeling of mirth ex- 
cited by the ludicrous appearance we exhibited, stalking about the 
room like spectres, and deprived of the usage of our arms ; and we 
began to enjoy the panic panly visible to our eyes, and principally 
ascertained from our gaoler, from whose account it appeared large 
bodies of the inhabitants were already assembling to the sounds of 
tbe alarm drums and bugles. The guards and sentinels of our pri- 



160 



.on had been doubled at the first rumor, and the militia of the adja- 
cent country were flocking in to strengthen the troops intrusted with 
th security of the men. It was not until a late hour in the night, 
hat these warlike preparations appeared to be completed, the rolling 
of the drums frequently breaking on our cars, as we lay extended 
on our blankets, to which, alter a close examination o our apar men 
bv the *aoler, followed by an unusually careful application of bolt, 
and keys, we had long since consigned our aching limbs. _ 

In the state of utter helplessness to which my companions were 
reduced we found the advantage of the exception made . m my fa- 
vor ml 1 was thus enabled 10 perform many little offices which 
thebrutali.v and remissness of the gaoler left us no hope would be 
attended to by him. Three days had now elapsed since the visit 

Untenant Harrison, when the situation of the sufferers ad be- 
come irksome to a degree. Not once, during that period had they 
be „ ermitted to throw off their clothes, or perform their custom- 
ar y ablutions; and when they descended to the court winch «M 
rely and but for a few minutes, a sentinel followed with h.s bayon 

extended, and within a foot of the prisoner. Their hands and wr.sts 
had also become extremely swollen by the compression of the „rons, 
and the extremities of the fingers of several were discolored with 
the quantity of blood propelled to those parts. Under these circum- 
stances I wrote a polite note to Colonel Campbell, detailing the se- 
veral inconveniences sustained by my brother officers, and requesting 
that he would cause the fetters to be removed under the inspection 
of an officer, and merely for the time requisite to clean the.rpersons 
and change their linen. To this communication I received a nega- 
tive replv, couched in the most positive and unfeeling terms. I im- 
mediately wrote a second, expressive of our united sentiments in re- 
spect to his conduct, which 1 had no doubt would have brought 
down the wrath of the generous commandant on my head; but no 
notice whatever was taken of the letter. Finding it vain to expect 
any relief from this quarter, we adopted an expedient which answer- 
ed all the intention proposed. With the aid of an old knife.we contrived 
to divide the nails by which the irons were riveted around the wrists, 
and substitute others of lead, a small quantity of wh.ch article one 
of the midshipmen happened to have in his havresack. 'I he relief 
afforded by the removal of the fetters, which was only effected by 
stealth, and at those moments when we considered ourselves free 
from interruption, was grateful to all, altho-gh the fingers were so 
cramped by the extended position in which they had been kept, as 
to render it difficult and painful to move them. The leaden pins 
had been blackened to imitate iron,and as the sleeves were carefully 



161 

drawn over, the deception could only be discovered on a minute ex- 
amination. Thus were the officets enabled not only to enjoy some 
little cessation irom suffering, but to attend to the comfort and clean- 
liness or their persons, an advantage for which they certainly were 
not much indebted to the humanity of the public authorities of Chi- 
licothe. 

Nearly ten days had succeeded to the detection of our plan of es- 
cape, when, one evening at a late hour, we received intimation to 
prepare for > ur removal to the penitentiary of Frankfort in Kentucky; 
and accordingly the next day, about two o'clock in the afternoon, we 
were conducted to the front of the prison, where a detachment of 
regular infantry was drawn up with their ranks facing inwards, and 
at extended order. Between these ranks we were placed two abreast 
and the detachment being ordered to face to the right and left, we 
moved on, thus escorted or rather enfiladed, from the gloomy walls 
of our prison. As if to humiliate us to the last degree, and add insult 
to mislortune, we were paraded through the principal streets of the 
town, though sucli a route was at once circuitous and unnecessary. 
The taunts and hisses of the populace who had assembled at an ear- 
ly hour to witness our departure, and were now with difficulty kept 
back by the guaid, followed us throughout ; but the clamorous ebul- 
lition of their hate gave us far less concern than the sombre counte- 
nances of the more respectable inhabitants, collected to view the pas- 
ing scene. Those with whom we had lately associated, and who 
had exercised the courtesies of hospitality in our favor, now gazed 
upon us with various expression — some in a triumphant disdain ori- 
ginating in a false rumor, which had been industriously circulated 
of a design to fire the town — others Avith evident interest and con- 
cern, arising from a conviction of the injustice of such a charge. 
Friends and foes were, however, alike to us at that moment, and the 
proud indifference of our looks rested on all with the same cold ex- 
pression; for we felt that the ignominious treatment to which we 
were then being subjected, reflected, not on us, who had attempted 
the fulfilment of a duty we owed both to our country and to ourselves, 
but on those who thus abused their power over us as defenceless 
captives. At length when it was presumed that the good inhabi- 
tant of Chilicothe had sated themselves with a view of the "in- 
cendiary English, 1 ' we were conducted to a large boat on the river ? 
already manned with soldiers, and awaiting our arrival. 

It was with a feeling of real pleasure that we found Lieutenant 
Harrison to be the officer in command of the detachment to whose 
charge we were here given over; and as we took our places, the 



162 

boat was pushed off trom the shore, and quickly glided down the 
Scioto, amid the continued hootings of the rabble, collected at the 
point of embarkation on its banks. Impressed with various iefiec- 
lions arising from the preceding scene, few of the party were disposed 
for conversation, and an almost uninterrupted silence had prevail- 
ed some hours, when, towards the close of the day, the boat struck 
against a "sawyer," or trunk of a tree carried off Irom the land during 
the tioods, and frequently stationary in the beds of rivers, from whence 
when acted on by the tide and current, it rises suddenly to the surface 
in a perpendicular direction, preserving a state of reaction, and 
threatening destruction even to the largest boats used in the navi- 
gation of the Ohio and Misissippi. The concussion we experien- 
ced gave rise to serious apprehensions for our safety ; and in an in- 
stant the leaden pins of the handcuffs were removed, but yet with 
sufficient precaution to escape the attention of the guard. Lieuten- 
ant Harrison, however, caused the boat to be directed towards the 
shore, and having expressed his intention to pass the night in an 
old deserted building, which stood at the distance of seme few hun- 
dred paces, we were accordingly disembarked. When arrived at 
the spot indicated for our temporary sojourn, the American officer, 
.evidently impressed with a lull sense of our recent danger, declared 
it to be his determination to remove the fetters from our hands, pro- 
vided we would pledge our words to him, as British officers, that 
no attempt at escape should be made. This step, he observed, had 
not in any way the sanction of his superiors, but he was willing to 
take the responsibility upon himself, satisfied that our parole once en- 
gaged, no ultimate risk could be incurred. This circumstance, how- 
ever grateful in fact, placed the manacled officers in a rather awkward 
dilemma, since it was evident that in removing the irons, which had 
been replaced the instant the danger was passed, the deception must 
be discovered, We had, however, formed too just an estimate of the 
character ot Lieutenant Harrison to hesitate long in the avowal of a 
subterfuge to which we had been driven by suffering and necessity. 
Our promise was then given, and the whole party one; 1 more enjoy- 
ed the unrestrained use of their limbs. At an early hour on the fol- 
lowing morning we again embarked, and a few hours brought us to 
.the point of confluence with the majestic waters of the Ohio, The 
strong current of this expansive river carried us rapidly forward, and 
Ave soon found ourselves at Cincinnati, the capital of ihe State. 

After leaving Cincinnati, and passing the boundary line which se- 
parates the States of Ohio and Kentucky, the direction of our course 
was changed, and we ascended a small river intersecting the latter 
state, and leading in the line of the capital. Our progress here was 



163 

slow and difficult. A thick and apparently impervious wood skirted 
its banks, and, occasionally interweaving its protruding tops, threw a 
chilling gloom over the scene, while the close underwood, reaching 
to the veiy margin of the waters, seemed to preclude all possibility 
of a landing. At length a more open space was perceptible, and at 
this point our journey by water, owing to the increasing difficulty of 
movement, was discontinued. Horses were procured in the adjacent 
country ; and, escorted by Lieutenant Harrisoj, who left his detach- 
ment in the boat, we continued our route towards Frankfort then at 
no great distance. After travelling through a wild and thinly in- 
habited country, and along paths which no other than American 
horses could have trod Avith safety, a range of loftv and gloomy hills, 
by which that capital is nearly surrounded, announced the proximity 
ol what we were to consider as our future home. The morning was 
cold and rainy, and as we wound round the base of a hill which in- 
tercepted our view, the towering walls of the penitentiary, situated 
in tnat extremity of the town by which we approached, fell suddenly 
on ourgaze. A few minutes brought us m a line with its principal en- 
trance ; and as we glanced upwards at the low and narrow Windows, 
we beheld our companions thrusting their handkerchiefs through the 
bars, and saluting us as they could. They were the party that had 
preceded us from Chilicothe, and consisted chiefly of the officers taken 
at the Moiavian town. It was a n.elancholy moment tor recognition 
and our feelings had imbibed much of the sombre character of the 
season, as we moved on to the spot appointed for our delivery into 
the hands of the Marshal of Kentucky. This duty performed, Lieu- 
tenant Harrison bade us adieu, with a friendly warmth which every 
individual in our patty fully appreciated and returned. He was in 
truth a noble fellow. 

On entering the prison of the penitentiary, we found our friends 
distributed into two small rooms little larger than common cells, and 
crowded togpther in a distressing manner; but many had reconciled 
themselves to their situations, and enjoyed a temporary distraction 
in studying the trades carried on by the convicts iu the court, who 
cheerfully initiated them into the rudiments of their respective arts. 
The following is a correct list, taken from an American paper, of the 
names and rank of the several officers assembled withio its walls. 
• Lieut. Col. Warburton— Major Chambers, D. A. Q. M. G.— Ma- 
jor Muir, 41st — Captain Derenzy, do — Capt. McCoy, do— Capt. Hill, 
do — Capt. Tallon, do — Capt. Dixon, Royal Engineers — Lieut. Haile*, 



164 

41st — Lieut. Watson, do — Lieut. Linn, do — Lieut. Jeboult, do — 
Lieut. O'Keefe, do — Lieut. Gale, do — Lieut. Purvis, Royal Navy — 
Lieut. Stokoe, do — Lieut, Bremuer, Provincial do — Lieut. Rolette 
do. do — Lieut. Irvine, do. do — Lieut. Holmes, Light Dragoons — En- 
sign Mompesson, 41st — Ensign Cochran, do — Ensign Jones, do — 
A. B. Garden Gent. Volunteer, Royal Newloundland Regt. — J. 
Richardson, do. 41 st — James Laing, do — J. Campbell, Master's 
mate, R. P. N— G. Collins, do— J. Fortier, do— R. Nelson, Midship- 
man. 

The whole number of prisoners were about 900, including those 
taken on the lake. 

Our residence in the penitentiary was, however too limited to ad- 
mit of perfection in our new occupations. At this period a strong 
sensation was produced in America by the intelligence of Napo- 
leon's unexpected reverses in Russia. A termination of the war 
between Great Britain and France might now be anticipated as an 
event of no very remote occurrence, and the ability thus afforded to 
the former power of sending a more formidable army to oppose that 
of the United States, would place the struggle between the two 
countries on a very different fooling. Under this view of the case, 
and as one of the measures consequent on the altered aspect of the 
war, ihe affair of the hostages was gradually suffered to die away. 
The first step, however, was only an amelioration of our condition, 
which was effected by our removal from the penitentiary to the town. 
The principal hotel in Frankfort, to which was attached an exten- 
sive garden, surrounded by a low Avail, was the place selected for 
our residence, with the express prohibition, however, of outstepping 
its limits. Here on the score of personal comfort Ave had no reason 
to complain. Three shillings a day Avas the allowance granted by 
the American government to each officer, and the sick were entitled 
to twice that amount. One room was occupied by two prisoners, 
and our table Avas abundantly supplied Avith excellent food. Tea, 
coffee, eggs, cold meat, and the various "sweet sauces" to which 
the Americans are so partial, composed our breakfast ; while at din- 
ner we generally found ourselves seated before meats of every de- 
scription, and succeeded by a plentiful dessert. Tea, coffee, and 
hot cakes, composed our evening repast. A number of black slaves 
were also at our orders, and the preparation of our linen was inclu- 
ded in the moderate charge. Such was the revolution effected in our 
position, and but for the restraint imposed on our liberty, our chains 
would have been light. 



165 

At length, in consequence of an order from the seat of Govern- 
ment, we were once more placed on paiole, and permission was ac- 
corded to such of the prisoners as chose to pay their own expenses 
and provide their own horses, to repair to the Canadian frontier. 
This offer was eagerly embraced by the field officers and such others 
as the state of their finances would permit. The remainder were 
compelled to await the issue of the arrangements then in agitation 
for an exchange of prisoners, hoping that the shackles of captivity, 
which had at the outset promised to be of long continuance, would 
speedily be removed; and we availed ourselves of the liberty once 
more accorded. Several gentleman of the highest respectability in 
the place were forward in offering attention; and among the first of 
these was Major Madison. This officer had been himself a prison- 
er in Lower Canada, from whence he was only recently returned, 
and, impressed with a grateful sense of the treatment he had receiv- 
ed, hastened to evince it by various acts of hospitality and courtesy 
towards out selves. We became welcome visitors in his family, 
and frequently accompanied him in excursions to sev-ral delightful 
country seats at some distance from the town. Permission was 
frequently obtained for us to visit places at the distance of twenty 
miles without any escort whatever ; and as our purses had been 
replenished by the kindness of Mr. Sproule, a Frankfort banker, 
without any other guarantee lor future payment than our simple 
bills, these excursions were not few. A good 'understanding was, 
however, only maintained with a very small portion of the inhabi- 
tants. By the rest Ave were regarded with an eye of jealousy and 
detestation, and whenever opportunities did present themselves, 
these feelings were undisgaisedly manifested. One instance must 
suffice. 

As a slight return for the attentions of Major Madison, Lieute- 
nant Irvine of the Navy, the person so honorably alluded to in the first 
part of this narrative, had, with an ingenuity lor which he was re- 
markable, constructed a vessel in miniature for the daughter of that 
gentleman. To many of the inhabitants of Kentucky, the model 
even of a frigate complete in all her parts, was a novel sight, and the 
present was thankfully received. Anxious to tender a similar offer- 
ing, though in a different quarter, a young midshipman named Camp- 
bell, occupying one of the upper rooms, had undertaken a similar 
task, and devoting himself with all the anxiety and ardor of his years 
to the completion of his vessel, soon had the satisfaction of seeing 



166 

it in a state of great forwardness. Most unfortunately for him, how- 
ever, he had forgotten that an English flag even on a bark of those 
Lilliputian dimensions is ever an offensive image to an American 
eye ;• and decked in this fatal ornament, it now lay exposed in one of 
the windows of his apartment, and was distinctly visible from the 
street. On the- morning ot its exhibition, a crowd of persons, delight- 
ed at having what they conceived a pretext for insult, rushed in a 
body up the stairs, uttering imprecations and threats. Having reach- 
ed the spot where the object of their fury was lying, they seized the 
luckless ship, and dashed it on the pavement of the street, where it 
was shattered in a thousand fragments, the leader of the party ex- 
claiming, " You British rascals, if you show your tarnation colors 
here again, we'll throw yen after them." This noble feat being ac- 
complished, they retired, swearing at us all in true Kentucky style, 
and leaving poor Campbell to brood at leisure over his misfortune. 

Shortly after this event, arrived the agreeable intelligence that the 
whole of the prisoners were to be marched to the frontier for the pur- 
pose of an immediate exchange. Those alone who have experienced 
the miseries and restraints attendant on a state of captivity, especial- 
ly under such circumstances as those by which that of the offictrs of 
the Right Division was marked, can enter into the feelings by which 
Ave were all, more or less actuated. By many the news, although 
Ion"- expected, of our exchange being actually effected, had been re- 
ceived as a pleasing dream or illusion, from which the mind dreaded 
to be awakened ; and until the moment of actual departure, that rest- 
lessness of impatience which is the offspring of uncertainty seemed 
to predominate in every breast. A thousand things unlikely to occu?, 
but still within the pale of possibility, presented themselves to imagi- 
nations more disposed to the expectation of gloomy than of agreeable 
events. The order for our departure might be repealed — the negotia- 
tion for the exchange broken off altogether — and to crown all, the cruel 
subject of the hostages renewed. Pleasurahle anticipations belong 
only to those who have basked in the unbroken sunshine of For- 
tune — those who have been tutored in the school of Adversity are 
less sanguine in their hope.*, and temper the glow of generous confi- 
dence with the steady calm of warning experience. 

That we were not wrong, indeed, in apprehending interruption to 
the negociations, then pending between the two Governments, will 
be seen from the following important General Orders issued by Sir 
George Prevost, embracing the correspondence between Adj-t. Gene- 
ral Baynes, and General Winder, to whom had been confided the deli- 
cate task of entering on the subject of the exchange of Hostages. 



167 

General Order, 

Head Quarters, Montreal, 
16th April, 1814. 

His Excellency the Governor in Chief, and Commander of the 
Forces, announces to the troops under his command, that he was 
pleased to sanction and confirm, on the 15th inst. Articles of a Con- 
vention entered into by Colonel Baynes, Adjutant General of the 
Forces, and Brigadier General Winder of the army of the United 
States of America, for the mutual release of all prisoners of war, 
Hostages or others, with the exception of the lorty-six American 
officers and non-commissioned officers placed in close confinement 
as Hostages, in conformity to the General Order of the 27th. of Oc- 
tober last, in retaliation for twenty three British Soldiers, confined 
by the Government ol the United Stales, as Hostages for twenty- 
three British born subjects, taken from the ranks of the enemy, and 
sent to England for legal trial. 

By this agreement it is stipulated that all prisoners of war (the 
ahove mentioned alone excepted) shall be mutually exchanged, and 
delivered at such places as shall be agreed on, with all convenient 
expediiion, and shall be declared, respectively and severally, to be 
released, and free to carry arms, and serve on the 15th day of May 
next, the same as if they had never been prisoners of war: and it 
has been further piovided, that whatever balance shall appear on 
the returns of prisoners ol war, respectively exchanged or given up 
on parole, by either party since the commencement of Hostilities, 
the number of Prisoners for which an equivalent has not been re- 
turned, shall be withheld from all military service, until exchanged. 

It is with proud satisfaction thai the Commander of the Forces 
feels confident, that this provisional clause can never apply to the 
Army in Canada, from the immense disparity in the number and 
rank of the prisoners, it has restored to the enemy. 

All officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers, being prisoners 
of war, who are not prevented in consequence of their wounds, are 
commanded to join their respective corps and stations on the 15th 
d#y of May next, and to resume their military duties. 

(Signed) Edward Baynes, Adjt- Gen. 



General Order. 

Head Quarters, Camp at Chambly' 
July 2d, 1814. 
Several officers of this army having returned Irom the United States, 
where they had been held in close confinement as hostages, and hav- 
ing on their release signed a conditional parole containing a pledge 
on their part, to return to meir captivity at the expiration of a limited 
period, unless previously exchanged: His Excellency the Governor 
in Chief, and Commander of the Forces, considering such parole to 
be inconsistent with the provisions of a convention for the exchange 
of prisoners which was entered into by persons duly empowered lor 
that purpose by the Government of the United States, and His Ex- 
cellency respectively, and has already been carried into complete ex- 
ecution on his pirt, and has also been in part executed by the Amer- 
ican Government, — is pleased to declare that all those officers, whe- 



168 

ther of the Line or Militia are absolved from their parole, under and 
by virtue of the before mentioned convention: — that ihey are releas- 
ed and free to serve as if they had never been Prisoners of War, and 
are all and severally included in the General order of the 16th of April 
directing all Prisoners of War after the 15th of May to repair to thtir 
respective corps and stations, and to resume their military duties. 

To destroy any doubts which may by possibility be entertained 
with regard to the complete execution of the Convention above men- 
tioned: to satisfy the nice and scrupulous sensibility with which a 
British soldi r must ever view and examine an act, professing to re- 
lease him from an obligation in which his honor is implicated, and 
to remove every apprehension irom the minds of these who may come 
within the scope of the present General order, His Excelh ncy is 
pleased to authorize the communication to the army under his com- 
mand, of the principal circumstances attending the commencement, 
progress, and final conclusion of the Convention to which allusion 
has above been made. 

At the solicitation of the Government of the United States, con- 
veyed in a letter from their Secretary of State of the 19th oi March, 
and not less induced by his anxious desire to alleviate the unneces- 
sary severity which the system of retaliation had introduced into the 
conduct of this war, the Commander of the Forces did not hesitate 
in acceding to a proposal which seemed to promise the attainment of 
an object so desiiable. In that spirit, and with that view, His Ex- 
cellency consented to the exchange of Brigadier General Winder, fa 
•Hostage) in consequence of that officer having been selected by the 
President of the United States as an agent, vested with full powers 
to negociate for an exchange of prisoners of War, as well Hostages 
as others. Hi? Excellency was also pleased to nominate Colonel 
Baynes as an Agent vested with similar powers, on the part of the 
British army. 

The negotiation commenced under the most favorable auspices^ 
The basis and conditions of the convention being left to the discre- 
tion of the two officers above mentioned, it was agreed that all pri- 
soners of War, Hostages or others (with the sole exception of the 
Bri'ish subjects taken from the ranks of the enemy and sent to En- 
gland for legal trial) should be released in conformity to the regula- 
tions of the cartel, General Winder pledging himself that his Govern- 
ment entertained the most liberal sentiments, and that the great dis- 
parity of prisoners, both with respect to rank and numbers, which 
the United States would receive and for which they had no equiva- 
lent to return, should be withheld from service on parole, until duly 
exchanged. 

This agreement was on the point of being ratified, when a despatch 
from the American Secretary of Sta.e, dated Washington the ii^nd 
March, was received by Brigadier General Winder, and was verbal- 
ly represented by him to convey a positive prohibition to his consent- 
ing to the release of the twenty-three British soldiers held in confine- 
ment as Hostages for the British subjects sent to England for trial, 
unless it was stipulated that they also should be released, and sent 
to the United Str.tes. 

This proposition was instantly answered by a note informing Brig- 
adier General Winder, that as a new basis had been substituted by 
the Secretary of State, inadmissible in principle, the negociation was 



169 

in consequence at an end, and that his partial exchange as a prelim- 
inary measure was also void, and of no effect as emanating from an 
act which had, from the conduct of the proposing party, become a 
nullity. 

The introduction of this new pretension on the part of the Gorern- 
m( nt of the United States had arrested the progress of the negocia- 
tion, when a note from Brigadier General Winder came (No. 3) which 
was acceded to by Colonel Baynes as the basis of a convention (No. 4.) 

To ascertain the existence of the power of final ratification on the 
part of Brigadier General Winder, the Commander of the Forces 
was pleased to direct Colonel Baynes to address to that officer the 
note (No. 5) and although the answer of Brigadn r General Winder, 
as contained in note (No. 6) did not completely accord with the spirit 
of candor professed by him, and manifested by His Excellency, ne- 
vertheless the fair construction of it was such as to carry to his mind 
the conviction which it must impress on every honorable man who 
peruses it, that Brigadier General Winder possessed the power of 
finally ratifying any new agreement for the exchange of prisoners, 
into which he might think proper to enter. 

Under this impression the Commander of the Forces was pleased 
to declare his assent to the immediate release and exchange of Briga- 
dier General Winder; the negociation for the exchange of prisoners 
on the contracted basis imposed by Brigadier General Winder, was 
recommenced, and the conditions being arranged, a convention was 
concluded on the 15th April last, and ratified by the contracting 
parties. 

It is under this convention, so begun and ratified, and carried into 
effect according to the tenor of it, with promptitude and good faith 
on the part of the Commander of ihe Forces, and to which no objec- 
tion has been specified by the American Government, in any of their 
communications to His Excellency, since the conclusion of it, hut 
which, on the contrary, must have been accepted, since it has beea 
in part executed by lhatGovernment,'that His Excellency, the Com- 
mander of the Forces, has been pleased thus publicly to absolve all 
the officers and others who have recently returned from the United 
States from a parole which His Excellency conceives to be incon- 
sistent with the terms of that convention, and which he considers to 
have been exacted by persons ignorant of its existence, or miscon- 
ceiving its conditions. 

By His Excellency's Command, 
Edward Baynes Adjt. General, 

British North America. 



No.l. 



Montreal, 10 April, 1S14. 
Colonel Baynes has commuiiicated to Bis Excellency the Com- 
mander of the Forces the purport and extent of the alterations explain- 
ed by Brigadier General Winder to exist, between the instructions of 
the 19th March addressed to him by the Secretary of State, and those 
of the 22nd. of the same date received yesterday, and that the omission 
of the same in the first copy was owing to an error in transcribing it. 



170 

His Excellency, however, on reference to the letter of (he Secreta- 
ry of State of the I9th March, addressed to him, as it is stated, "with 
the view, and in the sincere desire to restore to the mildest prac- 
tice of civilized nations the treatment of prisoners on both side?," and 
authorizing Brigadier General Winder, on the part of the United 
States G-ivernment, to conclude an arrangement which may embrace 
the exchange, as wel of those held as hostages, as of other piison- 
ers ; and His Excellency learning fiom that officer that his instruc- 
tions fully comported with the unqualified tenor o! the proposal made 
in the Secretary of State's letter to him, did not hesitate a moment in 
acceding to ihe other arrangements therein suggested, and was pre- 
pared to wave just grounds which he conceived he had of complaint 
against the Government of the United States, on the subject of the 
exchange of prisoners of War, in the hopes of promoting an arrange- 
ment so desirable for the cause of humanity and the honor of both na- 
tions; and he is much disappointed to find his hopes frustrated by the 
introduction, at this period of the negociation, of a claim so totally in- 
admissible, that had the Secretary of State's letter borne the most dis- 
tant allusion to it, His Excellency wouh 1 have felt himself, as he now 
does, prohibited from proceeding any further on the subject. 

The British view the confinement of twenty-three soldiers as the 
first act of aggression: for the undoubted right which every free nation 
possesses of investigating and punishing the crimes committed by 
her own natural born subjects, in a due course of law, is too self evi- 
dent to require a conumnl, nor can it, by any distortion of sense or 
justice, be construed into a just ground for an act of fair retaliation 
exercised on twenty-thiee British Soldiers: the latter are character- 
ized by their patriotism and loyalty, the former stigmatized for their 
treason and rebellion. 

It would be wasting time to enter into any further discussion on 
this subject. Great Britain has successfully maintained her nation- 
al rights unsullied for twenty years against the whole world combin- 
ed ; it is not to be supposed that it is reserved for the United States 
to stop the course of justice,and to dictate to England what proceedure 
she shall observe towards her own natural born subjects, in her own 
courts of civil judicature, arrested in her own territories, in the com- 
mission of acts of treason and rebellion. 

It is to be remarked, that as the exchange of prisoners of War now 
proposed by the United States no longer has the general character that 
was at first proposed, but is specifically to restore quota for quota, it 
becomes on this ground, incumbent on the part of the British Govern- 
ment, to demand as a preliminary step, a detailed statement of about 
three thousand prisoners of war, of which the third were of the United 
States' regular service, captured in Canada during the first Campaign, 
and given up in good faith to the United States, who at that period, 
had no British prisoners. — and as all subsequent exchanges on the 
part of the United States, have been acquitted by an equivalent num- 
ber of prisoners simultaneously exchanged, it is insisted that the 
American Government is bound by honor and good faith to make full 
and complete satisfaction for the above debt, in conformity to the 14th 
article of the cartel, before she can in justice retain, or ask an equiva- 
lent for a single British piisoner now in her possession : and for this 
purpose returns Avill be prepared, not only of the number of prisoners 
remaining unexchanged in the possession of either power, but of those 



171 

given up in good faith by the British Government to the United States, 
and for which no return has yet been made, or satisfaction offered ; and 
as it appears from the documents now transmitted, that the United 
States are adding to the number of prisoners placed in restraint as 
Hostages, His Excellency is left no alternative, and is under the 
imperious necessity of ordering into close confinement, all the Ameri- 
can officers remaining in his possession, not heretofore considered as 
Hostages. 

If the instructions of the Secretary ot State leave to the discretion 
of Brigadier General Winder no latitude on the subject of the twen- 
ly-three British Soldiers considered by Great Britain as the sole just 
origin of the system of retaliation, the further prosecution of this ne- 
gociation, for an exchange of prisoners, must be unavailing, as His 
Excellency, although prepared to wave all minor considerations, to 
meet the American Government on a fair and liberal basis, is at the 
same time unalterably firm in his determination not to compromise in 
the slightest degree, that principle of justice and equity upon which, 
the measures of His Government have been framed. 

On a former occasion, Colonel Baynes communicated to Major 
Melville that if the prisoners of War in Canada were not exchanged 
previous to the arrival of the transports expected early in the Spring, 
it would become a necessary measure to relieve the Canadas of that 
charge, and that they Would be sent to England; and on the opening 
of the river navigation, the prisoners now at Montreal will be sent to 
Quebec for that purpose. 

(Signed) Edward Baynes, 

Colonel, and Adjt. General. 

No. 2. 
Brigadier General Winder has received Colonel Baynes' note of 
this morning, and has read it with close and profound attention, not 
Avithoul considerable surprise and the deepest regret — surprise be- 
cause it seems to have been expected that the discussions depending 
between Colonel Bay nes and himself were in fact to have settled 
and adjusted a principal question which will no doubt occupy the 
Congress at Gottenburg— regret because he fears that the beneficial 
consequences which would result from making exchanjes, as far as 
was practicable under the powers held by General Winder, must be 
defeated by persisting in the views held out by the note of Colonel 
Baynes — exchanges which would restore to liberty so many brave 
and honorable men of both nations, who may otherwise linger out a te- 
dious protracted confinement, finally to be terminated by an in- 
glorious death, and which beside, would have left untouched in the 
fullest extent, the pretensions ol Great Britain, on the question fioin 
whence the system of retaliation has arisen. 

It appears to Brigadier General Winder, from the note of Colonel 
Bayne*, that he considered an exchange made under the restriction 
in Brigadier Genet al Winder's power, as an abandonment or com- 
promising the principle in question by the British Government. — 
Surely, it this were the case, as according to Brigadier General 
Winder's conception it certainly is not, it would have been an aban- 
donment of it on the part of the American Government, if this re- 
striction had not existed in the power, and would have been an ex- 



172 

tent of power which, it is confidently believed, His Excellency did not 
expect would be conferred on the occasion — nor indeed could it be 
supposed that a power to treat relative to the adjustment of this prin- 
ciple would have been conferred upon a person in the situation, and 
under the circumstances which Brigadiei General Winder was when 
he received the power. 

Brigadier General Winder further supposes that His Excellency 
had and can have, in the ordinaiy course of things, no power to set- 
tle and adjust this question unless by special delegation, and this 
if known to the Government of the United States, would have drawn 
from them a correspondent delegation of power with a view to its 
adjustment. 

But the Government of the United States were aware that His Ex- 
cellency possessed, as incidental to his military command, the pow- 
er of mailing exchanges relative to the Prisoners made from and by 
his command, which did not compromit the principle of the British 
Government on this point, and therefore had in view to delegate a 
corresponding power to Brigadier General Winder, as it is consider- 
ed they have entirely done. 

The government of the United States conceived that a relinquish- 
ment of the Twenty three original Hostages taken by them would 
be compromising the principle on their part, and declined to give 
a power to this extent — they, on the contrary, do not ask a release 
of the twenty-three men sent to England, because that would be relin- 
quishing it on the part of the British Government. The power to 
negociate upon this question, it is presumed, has I een delegated to 
the commissioners about to assemble at Gottenburg. 

But General W. is at a loss to perceive, that because he does not 
possess this power a negociation is to stop, which could originally 
only have contemplated, and been expected to contemplate, the ex- 
change, as far as could be done without broaching that question. 
And the letter of the Secretary of State to His Excellency, of the 
19th March, and his contemporaneous instructions to Brigadier 
General Winder, while they look to the largest possible exchange, 
yet reserve, and express to do so, whole and entire, the right on 
this system of retaliation, and he most sinceiely believes his 
propositions of yesterday's date entirely attain this object to both 
parties. 

Brigadier General Winder, conscious it would be useless to sub- 
mit any observation on the other parts of Colonel Baynes, note, as 
he believes them completely embraced in one of the propositions of 
his note of yesterday, entirely conformable to Colonel Baynes' 
wishes; and because, possessing no other powers or instructions 
than those already communicated, he supposes it more important, 
at the piesent moment, to obviate the objections to proceed in the 
negociation, which he flatters himself the foregoing remarks will 
have a tendency to effect, and which unless he can effect, would be 
time uselessly spent, as no result could flow from it. 

Brigadier General Winder submits these remarks in a spiiit of 
unreserved candor and cordiality, and without the loss of a moment; 
— and. flatters himself, that, viewed by Colonel Baynes with the 
same spirit, they will be found entitled to strong and conclusive 
weight. (Signed) Wm. Winder, 

Brie. Gen. U. S. Arm?. 



173 

No. 3. 



Montreal, April llth, 1814. 

Brigadier General Winder has received Colonel Baynes note of 
this mornm* and has read it with all the attention which the sub- 
ject of it was calculated to awaken, and however much he regrets 
that he is nut able to accomplish all that he hoped and wished, yet 
he I* "ratified in believing, that much may be accomplished in strict 
conformity with the principles upon which His Excellency feels 
himself bound to act as detailed in Colonel Baynes note of to-.^and 
aUo entirety within the powers and instructions which rJngad.er 
General Winder has received and submitted from his Government. 
Colonel Baynes' note states, "that the confinement of tbe Twenty- 
" three American officers, and an equal number of non-commission- 
"ed officers is considered as the first stage of retaliation, on the 
"part of the British Government, and will be persevered in so long 
"as the Twentv-three soldiers, for which they are held as hostages 
"are kept in confinement, and cannot be affected by any exchange 
" that does not emancipate the Twenty-three British soldiers- 

What Brigadier General Winder proposes, therefore in entire 
conformity to this principle is, that the British officers put into con- 
finement in retaliation for the confinement of the above iorty-six 
American officers and non-commis.oned officers sha I be released 
and exchanged to such an extent as an equivalent value of Ameri- 
can officers "confined in relaxation for them, or who may be prison- 
ers of war, other than the above forty-six, shall be released and 

eX BriSe'r General Winder, in his note of the 9th made his propo- 
sition^ extensive as he was allowed, but considered at the same 
time, that if, in its whole extent, it was not acceptable to His Ex- 
cellency he would hold himself ready to embrace any modification 
of them, which might be more acceptable, and within Brigadier 
General' Winder's power. .,„, M 

This proposition appearing to Brigadier Genl. Winder to be so 
entirely within the principles contained in Colonel Baynes note, 
he feels the most sanguine assurance of its acceptance, and with- 
out incumbering it with any thing else, ne hastens to submit it 

without delay. __, ,_„. , 

(Sisned) V\ m. W inder, 

Brig. Gen. U. S. Army. 

No - 4 - 

Head Quarters, Montreal, 

Adjutant General's Office, 
April 12th, 1814. 
Colonel Baynes has to acknowledge Brigadier General Winder's 
note of the llth inst., and is commanded to acquaint him, that the 
Commander of the Forces consents to an exchange o Hostages, and 
all other" Pi isoners of War in conformity to the sea e of the cartel, 
under the previous stipulated conditions reeled in his note, y,z.- 
That the twenty-three British Soldiers first confined as Hos^ges, 
and the forty-six Ameiican officers and non-commissioned officers 
confined as Hostages, in retaliation for the same remain untouched 
and be not included in the present proposed exchange. 



174 

It appearing that the American Government assert to have placed 
seventy-seven British officers in confinement as Hostages, and the 
right to retaliate in an equal number, being assumed by the com- 
mander of the Forces, it would be necessary to place thirty-one Amer- 
ican officers in similar restraint, in order to hold seventy-seven to 
restore in exchange, but to avoid the performance of so unpleasant ;i 
task, it is proposed, that it be taken for granted that this further act 
of retaliation has been carried into effect, and that the number of 
Hostages on boih sides, being equal in number, amounting to seventy- 
seven are declared released as Host-iges, and placed on the footing 
of ordinary prisoners of War, to be exchanged as such, in conlormity 
to the cartel. 

That this measure take place immediately in Quebec, and with 
the least possible delay in the United States and Halifax. 

The exchange contemplated, is to include every individual held as 
a prisoner of War connected with the Army of British North Ame- 
rica commencing from the first act of hostilities on either side, ex- 
cepting only twenty-three British soldiers, and the forty-six Ameri- 
can officers and non-commissioned officers to be reserved as Hostages, 
it being further stipulated that the last mentioned forty-six will be 
placed on the footing of ordinary prisoners pi War, and exchanged 
as such whenever the twenty-three British soldieis are so released or 
delivered over for exchange. 

The details contained in Brigadier General Winder's note of the 
9th inst. are accepted of; as forming the outline for a mutual airange- 
ment for carrying this exchange into effect. 

(Signed) Edward Baynes, 

Adjutant General, N. A. 

No. 5. 

Head Quarter. Montreal, 
Adjutant Generals office, 
April 12th, 1814. 

Colonel Baynes has to acknowledge Brigadier General Winder's 
note of this day, and is commanded to acquaint him, that the Com- 
mander of the Forces has no objection to the principle upon which 
his exchange is proposed by the Secretary of State as a preliminaiy 
measure to bis entering upon the proposed ncgociation, provided that 
the basis upnn which that negociation is to be conducted, is in its 
principle admissible and holds out a fair and a reasonable prospect of 
producing the desired end. 

His Excellency considered the proposal as stated in the Secretary 
of State's letter of 1 9th March as coming under that description, and 
the accompanying letter of instructions of the same date, comporting 
with the same, he did not hesitate to grant his consent to the pro- 
posed exchange of Brigadier General Winder, as a proper prelimin- 
ary measure — but a subsequent communication from the Secretary 
of the United States, being received by Brigadier General Winder, 
and represented by himto have been introduced into the first inst i nc- ■ 
tions, alterations in themselves inadmis-iblein principle, and that the 
same had been omitted by error in transcribing the first copy, and 
were therefore to be considered as iorming the text and spirit of the 
proposition. The Commander of the Forces considered himself 



175 



absolved from his assent to a document, which had, from the act 
of the proposing patty, become a nullity ; and thereby cancelling 
whatever might have emanated from it, and that he was at liberty to 
revert to the alternative suggested in theSecretary of Stale's first let- 
ter, and reject the proposal in toto. 

Colonel Baynes is directed to inform Brigadier General "Winder 
that it is noi His Excellency's intention to sanction any partial ex- 
change, except for the express purpose stated in the Secretary of 
State's letter, with which he thinks it highly expedient and proper to 
comply, hut he must require from that officer a most direct and un- 
equivocal assurance, thai he is authorized to treat and ratify, with- 
out further reservation, on the part of It, is Government, a negocia- 
tion on the principles stated in Colonel Baynes note of ifm 11th and 
12th, and in General Winder's note of the llih mstani — in which 
case his exchange will he declared full and complete. 

Brigadier General Winder will excuse this demand which has 
become necessary from the doubts which he has himself created, as 
to the nature and extent of the restriction recently placed upon him 
by his Government. 

(Signed) Edward Baynes, 

Adjt. Gcnf. N. A. 

No. 6. 

Montreal, April 13th, 1814. 

Brigadier General Winder very much regrets that he should have 
failed in communicating to Col. Baynes'in the last interview, the ex- 
tent of the powers communicated to him with requisite precision. 

It was the intention Of Brigadier General Winder to have stated 
that his powers extended without restriction, to propose and agree 
to an exchange of all British Prisoners of War taken from the com- 
mand of Sir George Prevost, except the twenty-three men put into 
confinement in retaliation tor the twenty-three men sent to England 
to which extent he now assures Col. Baynes his powers extend em- 
bracing all the subjects contained in Colonel Baynes' notes of the 
llili and 12th, and Brigadier General Winder's of the 11th. 

As it was not the intention of Brigadier General Winder that his 
Excellency should have the least question as to the extent of his 
powers, he cannot but feel mortified, that an idea should have been 
entertained for a moment that he intended to render them in the least 
degree doubtful, and he trusts this avowal will remove all such im- 
pressions, and enable Colonel Baynes and himself, upon the adjust- 
ment of Brig. Gen. Winder's exchange, to proceed without delay to 
the arrangement. 

v (Signed) W r m. Winder, 

Brig. Gen., U. S. Army. 

General Order. 

Adjutant General's Office, 
Head Quarters, Montreal, 
July 18th, 1814. 
His Excellency the Commander of the Forces announces to the 
troops under his command, that having at the invitation of the Ame- 



176 

rican Government, deputed Colonel Baynes, Adjutant General, and 
Lieutenant Colonel Brenton, Provincial Aide-de-camp, to meet on 
Thursday last at Champlain, Colonel Lear, late Consul General of 
the United States at Algiers — for the purpose of reconsidering the 
convention for the exchange of prisoners which had been entered in- 
to on the 15th of April last, between Culonel Baynes and Brigadier 
General Winder; and of removing whatever objections might be 
made to the due execution of it : — and the said meeting having taken 
place accordingly, all objections to the said convention were then, 
and there, completely removed; and the same was, on the 16th in- 
stant, fully and definitively ratified by Colonei Lear, on the part of 
the United States; (he having full power for that purpose) with a 
supplementary clause, by which the twenty-three British Soldiers, 
and the forty six American officers, the Hostages mentioned in the 
first article of the said convention, are declared to be included in that 
convention, and are to be released and exchanged, in the same man- 
ner as other prisoners of War, mentioned in the same articles, not- 
withstanding the exception to them therein contained; — and His Ex- 
cellency is pleased hereby to direct that this General Order be con- 
sidered in explanation and confirmation of the said General Orders 
issued on the 16th and 2d July, 1814. 

Edward Baynes, Adjt. Gen. N. A. 

The morning of our actual departure from Frankfort was, as will 
be believed, one of joy and exultation to us all ; and at an early hour 
most of the officers were already up, and with light hearts and chear- 
ful countenances preparing for their journey. 

Our horses were at length brought to the entrance of the hotelj 
before which nearly half the town of Frankfort had collected to wit- 
ness our departure. Habited in our light and neatly fringed Ken- 
tucky frocks, fastened by silver buckles attached to broad red-moroc- 
co belts we soon vaulted into the saddle; and escorted by Lieu- 
tenant Mitchell of the rifle service, and Colonel Crocket, the mar- 
shal of the stale, a consequential gentleman, who had often vainly 
sought to subdue our refractory spirits into something like submis- 
sion to his authority, we commenced our journey. The hand of 
kindness and the voice of gentlemanly consideration were extend- 
ed to us by a few, among whom stood principally conspicuous Ma- 
jor Madison, and the banker Mr. Sproule ; but on the countenances 
of the manv might be traced very different feelings. Even while 
dettsting our presence, they seemed to regret the approaching re- 
moval of their victims, and the insolence of their looks and observa- 
tions bore sufficient testimony of their hostility. 

Pursuing a route different from that by which we had reached 
Frankfort, we soon arrived at Newport, a small' town situated at the 
confluence of the Kanawav and Ohio rivers, and immediately oppo- 



177 



•ire to Cincinnati, in the neighborhood of which latter place tka 
prisoners from Chilicothe were awaiting the arrival of their officers. 
Large boats were procured for the passage of our horses, and, hav- 
ing crossed the river the same evening, we were conducted to our old 
quarters, the principal hotel in Cincinnati. 

On joining the men, we found, that independently of those whom 
the Americans had successfully employed every artto seduce <xam our 
service, two individuals were missing, itt whost . fate ^ ha j become 
previously interested. At the moment of departure from the har- 
bour of Amherstburg, Captain Barclay had received two young In- 
dian warriors, anxious to witness a naval combat, on board of the 
Detroit; and on engaging the American fleet, they were stationed 
jn the tops with their rifles. This position, however, they found 
less secure than the trees of their native forests, and were soon as- 
sailed by showers of grape and canister, which filled them with A*. 
may. They instantly relinquished their rifles, and hastened to de- 
camp. Too much frightened to adopt the safer and more usual mode 
of decent by the ladder of the riggmg, they each grasped a loose 
rope pencng from the yards, and in this manner glided with fearful 
rap.dtty to the dec M acerating their hands in a cruel manner, and 
ro doubt secretly regret.ing ,heir spirit of adventure. Nor did they 
stop un.,1 they reached the bottom of the hold, where they w «e sub- 
sequently found by the Americans, lying within a large cod of rope 
and in company with a pet. bear, belonging to cne oft le crew, who had' 
conveyed lum there, as a place of perfect security irom the enemy', 
shot. In our occasional visits to the encampment at Chilicothe we 
always saw and conversed with them, and at the last which preced- 
ed our close imprisonment, we found them busily en^ed in ma- 
■ng bows and arrows^a worl; m which they were noUme u e Z 
he, guard who probably saw nothing more in the occupation than 
amusement, or an agreeable employment of their time, but they told 
us in their own tongue, a little of which was understood by one of 
two of the party, that they were meditating their escape, and that the 
bows and arrows were to provide them with food in the woods. Th 
m te hgence now ived ^ ^ ^ ^^ 

W .the fin J I"? > " ""^ h3d Sel6Cted f ° r the ?»*«*» 

tTni v of 1" eRter - me V '' aS ' We h ^ d no ^ oPPOr- 

1 n ' cn th8 Indians find their way through lh« 



173 

deepest and mesl exten&ive forest*, we did not entertain a doubt of 
their having rejoined their trib^ in safely. 

The morning of our departure from Cincinnati, was the last of 
Colonel Crocket's "guardianship ;' ; for we were banded over to an 
old friend, Mr. Steele, the Marshal of Ohio, a man as genile, con- 
siderate, and unassuming, as the other was harsh, exacting, and 
overbearing. From this gentleman we received an account of the 
death of our old persecutor. Colonel Campbell. This officer had 
been despeiatelv wounded on the Niagara lrontier, whither he bed 
been ordered with his regiment, soon after our departure from Chili- 
cothe. The cap of his knee had been carried away by a canDon 
shot, and he died in extreme agony. If we had humanity enough 
not to rejoice at this intelligence, we certainly did not indulge in 
any very immoderate grief ; for the unfeeling conduct of that indi- 
vidual was still fresh in the recollection uf many, and, above all, the 
iusult of exposing us to public curiosity in the principal streets of a 
town in which he held the first military command — an insult we had 
every reason to believe originated with himself. 

Our route from Cincinnati lay through the same dull region we 
had traversed the preceding autumn ; but with feelings far different 
from those we then experienced, did we now measure back our steps 
The season too was changed, and instead of chill damps and pene- 
trating rains, over the face of nature was spread the genial waimth 
of summer. It was the middle of July; and though the ardent rays 
of a burning sun threw their oppressive lustre on our heads, while 
traversing the more open parts ot the country, we much more fre- 
quently found shelter in thick and extensive woods where a solita- 
ry, winding, and imperfect waggon-road alone marked the progress 
of civilization. Each moment of oui journey brought us nearer to 
the more fortunate companions of our toils, and the final termination 
of our anxieties ; and with this heart-cheering perspective we re- 
conciled ourselves to the privations incident to our more immediate 
position. 

Towaids the close of August we again arrived at Sandusky, and 
during nearly the whole of the succeeding month, were compelled to 
remain encamped on the small marshy plain extending from the base 
of the hill on which that fort is situated, to the edge of the river from 
which it derives its name. Owing to the unjustifiable neglect of 
those to whom that office was entrusted, not a boat was in readiness 
for our transportation across the lake, and we beheld this new and 



179 

anlooked-for evil wi;h dismay. The finishing stroke was put to our 
calamities by the introduction of intermittent lever into the camp, a 
malady which necessarily arose from constant exposure to heavy logs 
and noxious exhalations from the stagnant waters around us. Few 
of the oiiioers escaped this cruel and distressing' scourge, and Dearly 
one half of the men were attacked by it. With the view of having 
the. former more immediately at hand, the medical officers in the fort 
caused them to be conducted to a small building contiguous to one ot 
the gates, which had been previously used as a stable, and admitted 
the air and rain on every side. A handful of hay, covered with a 
blanket, composed our couch; and here, in a state of inexpressible 
misery, did we languish beneath the effects ol accumulating privation 
and disease. Nourishing or refreshing aliment we were utterly un- 
able to obtain, and the absence of necessary medicaments was severe- 
ly felt. Either from ignorance or indolence, — but we were given to 
presume the former, — the medical officers, while they prescribed bleed- 
ing, would not perform that office themselves, but entrusted it to a 
drummer of the garrison, who certainly, to his credit be it said, open- 
ed our veins with admirable dexterity. Tins operation being per- 
formed on the arm of each patient, half a pint of raw whisky was 
given us to drink, If this potation was administered with an idea of 
burning the disease out, the effect did not answer ttie intention, for 
our stomachs were long inflamed in consequence of this draught, and 
the fever raged with unceasing violence. Heartily sick of our pre- 
sent abode, we begged to be removed to the tents we had lately oc- 
cupied. This request was accorded; but here we were visited by 
aoother s vere inconvenience. The neighbourhood of Sandus,ky 
abounded in wolves, and our ears were nightly assailed with their 
dismal bowlings. The noise generally commenced from one pack 
at no great distance from the fort, and was repeated by several others 
in succession, and from opposite directions, until the whole extent of 
surrounding woods appeared to be alive with them. There was 
something fearfully gloomy in this absociation of wild sounds, 
particularly when the night was tar advanced, and the encampment 
hushed into silenca and repose, yet, but for the danger actually ap- 
prehended, we should have been disposed to find amusement in theif 
discordant yellings; for these bold animals came frequently do. vr» 
from the adjaoent hills, and by the pale light of the dying embers, w% 
could distinctly see and hear them craunching the bones and frag* 
msnts remaining from our meals. At our repeated solicitations, how 



ISO . 

ever, Arc arms were accorded us ; and though we made no actual us« 
of them, they inspired us with a feeling of greater confidence and se- 
curity. Yet were we not even then entirely free from alarm, espe- 
cially as our tents were detached at some distance from each other; 
and more than one sleepless night did we pais with our firgers on 
the triggers of our muskets, and momentaiily expecling to be attack- 
ed by these ravenous prowlers, against whose fury we invariably 
took tne precaution to secure the entrance to our tents in every pos- 
sible manner. 

Our situation was now become truly pitiable, and some of the of- 
ficers were compelled to part with their scanty wardrobe, in order to 
procure the common necessaries of life, from the few miserable set- 
tlers who had taken up their abode in the neighborhood of the for% 
which they partially supplied with milk and vegetables. The former 
article was that most in requisition with the invalids, and, in ad- 
dition to the wild fruits which Ave ate with avidity, contributed not 
a little to the increase of our malady. At length when nearly worn 
down by vain expectation and undermining fever, a solitary boat 
was seen slowly emerging from one of the angles formed by the 
windings of the narrow and unhealthy river, and in this we were 
embarked for Cleveland, a small harbour on the American shore, op- 
posite to Long Point, in Canada, where we were to be finally deliv- 
ered up. During this coasting voyage we were assailed by a tem- 
pest which upset our boat; bu t as we had fortunately kept close to 
the land, the accident occurred in water not beyond our depth, and 
we easily succeeded in righting and dragging the vessel to the shore. 
Every article of clothing w r as, however, completely wet through, and 
no habitation being near, we were compelled to throw ourselves fcr 
the night on the damp beach, covered with blankets still dripping 
with recent wet, and suffering the extremes of cold and heat, as the 
various stages of our disease were developed. It required more than 
ordinary constitutions to resist these attacks, and one officer (Lieu- 
tenant Jones, of the 41st) subsequently perished. Our provisions 
had been utterly destroyed by the water, and our only dependence 
was on the scanty pittance obtained from the impoverished inhabi- 
tants along the coast. A few potatoes and a small quantity of rancid 
butter were all that could be procured by the American officer escort- 
ing us, and these we devoured with all the keenness and rapacity of 
"famished wolves; yet was our hunger never wholly r.ppeased. At 
length the heights of Clevcbnd, wh^re were at that time two solitary 



m 

and miserable houses, appeared in sight, end we were now landed 
on the beach, where several of the officers imprudently ate large 
quantities of peaches which grew uninclosed and in abundance 
around. The accession of fever produced in consequence was greafj 
and the night was passed in the ravings of a delirium little short of 
madness. On the following morning we were re-embarked in a 
small vessel lying in the harbour; and leaving an officer behind to 
await the arrival, and superintend the transportation of the men 
who were advancing by land, we again set sail. Long Point, the 
place of our destination, was soon gained; but with what altered 
feelings did we now behold that soil which, one short month before, 
would have been hailed with rapturous exultation! Disease had 
worn away our persons, and our minds were deeply tinged with 
that morbid melancholy which is a characteristic feature in the com- 
plaint. Existence itself had rieaily lost its value with its chaims, 
and , in our then tune of feeling, liberty or captivity were situations of 
indifference. Jt had rained without intermission during the pas- 
sage, and on the vessel being brought to anchor, we were sum- 
moned from the small filthy cabin, into which we had been thrown, 
to the boats waiting lor our reception. In a few minutes we were 
landed, exhibiting to those by whom we were received on the beach 
the most distressing images of poverty, disease, exhaustion, and dis- 
content. We ai rived in Canada on the 4th of October, 1814, ma- 
king just one year from the d<Ue of our captivity. 

On my arrival in Canada 1 lost no time, dispirited and emacia- 
ted as I was from the effects of an ague which continued upon me 
for five consecutive months, without a single day of intermission, in 
parting from those with whom 1 had shared so many toils and vi- 
cissitudes, and hastening to join the King's Regiment (then station- 
ed at Montreal and Lapiairie,) to which I had been gazetted some 
months previous to my capture at the Moravian town. Nor is it 
uninteresting to add that my passage from Toronto to Kingston, 
was made in the St. Lawrence, Sir James Yeo's flac-ship, during 
the very last trip performed by that magnificant vessel, the vast di- 
mensions of which will be understood, when it is known that she 
mounted not less than 112 guns, of various heavy calibre, and was 
rr.anned by a crew, including all branches ol the service, of one 
thousand souls. There were, also if I do not greatly err, a seventy- 
four and two fifty gun ships, with numerous smaller craft, following 
in the wake of this Leviathan ; bat war had now been so lon^ carri- 



ISS 

*d ob in th« •ountry a* a mailer of course, and on &• extensive a 
a scale of preparation, that these latter were scarcely regarded as any 
thin" - extraordinary, even on the small and inland fresh water sea of 
Lake Ontario. 

At length spring with her cheerful and invigorating attributes 
once more appeared, bringing with it a cessation of hostilities be- 
tween Great Britain and the United Slates; and intelligence having 
soon afterwards reached this country of Bonaparte's escape from El- 
ba, and the consequent renewal of the war in Europe, we were hur- 
riedly ordered for embarkation, to join the British Army in Flan- 
ders. The Head Quarters of my regiment left Montreal for Que- 
bec in the first steamer (the John Molson,) that ever navigated these 
waters, and we were speedily embarked in a transport waiting to re- 
ceive us, and forming one of sixty sail, under the convoy of Sir 
George Collier in the Newcastle. Our route was to Ostend, but we 
were too late — as the battle of Waterloo, to have participated 
in which was worth the sacrifice of all our previous service, was 
fought before we were half way across the Atlantic. 

Since that period, I had never revisited Canada, until the astound- 
ing and and unexpected events of 1S37 and J838 again brought mo 
to rav native land, to aid if necessary in vindication of her wounded 
honor. 



T H K END. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 

Notwithstanding nil the care we have personally bestowed ape* 
the correction of the press, so many glaring typographical errors have 
crept into the present edition of this Narrative, that were it net for 
the time necessary to prepare a second, we should unhesitatingly 
commit the impression to the flames, rather than suffer it to go forth 
to the public. 

This difficulty will be obviated should the work be stereotyped, ia 
which case all, to whom the publication is now gratuitously sent, 
shall be furnished with new copies. 



